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WhatsApp vs Telegram: Prioritizing Features or Privacy?
Given a choice, if you have to choose the best instant messenger and uninstall the other messengers, what they would be, I believe it has to be WhatsApp vs Telegram because, considering the estimated number of users on the aforementioned respective platforms, other platforms have fewer users comparatively.
There were days when WhatsApp was predominantly used in many countries but due to its privacy policy that was announced in January 2021. As a result, WhatsApp alternatives such as Telegram and other apps gained users heavily. It is no longer an app that is used widely for instant messaging, as other apps started sharing the place.
Table of Contents
WhatsApp vs Telegram: Introduction
WhatsApp Messenger was launched in 2009 as freeware and since its inception, it showed its hegemony in the market. It was known for its intuitiveness and user-friendly UI.
In February 2014, FaceBook took over WhatsApp paying US $ 19 billion, which was not only huge compared to its other acquisitions but also is considered a huge acquisition in the world, furtherly it facilitated FaceBook's growth.
In November 2014, WhatsApp partnered with Open Whisper Systems to incorporate the encryption protocol in the process to provide end-to-end encryption.
Telegram
Telegram was launched in 2013, by Nikolai and Pavel Durov who were also the founders of the Russian online social media named RK.
Telegram data load is distributed across five data centers in different parts of the world, and the operations center is based in Dubai in the United Arab Emirates.
Very soon Telegram became a WhatsApp alternative, for instance, the pre-WhatsApp policy announcement in January 2021, it has seen 500 million downloads, and post-announcement it had seen one billion downloads in August 2021.
WhatsApp vs Telegram: Access
WhatsApp is available for download and uses on every major platform, so you may use it with any operating system.
You can continue your communication by scanning the QR code that appeared in the system with your mobile phone. To maintain access, you must keep your phone near the system. You'll be able to check your messages on your mobile simultaneously because the data will be synced instantly.
Your WhatsApp account can only be accessed from one mobile device. When you open it on a different mobile device, you must follow the standard authentication process. For example, after entering your contact number in the alternate device, you must acknowledge the confirmation on your previous device, which will deactivate the account by default on the previous device and activate the account on your current device. Rest assured that your data will be synced, and you will be able to continue communicating as usual.
Telegram allows users to log in to their accounts from several devices at the same time. Users will have to log in using their contact number as their credentials, but your cloud chats will sync instantaneously. However, if your device loses connection, you will lose access to all of your other devices.
WhatsApp vs Telegram: Group Conversations
Just like any other chat application, both WhatsApp and Telegram have standard processes for creating groups, allowing you to have chats with big groups of members simultaneously.
A WhatsApp group can have up to 256 members. With only a few clicks as an admin, you can restrict other group members' access and turn the group into a notification group.
When it comes to group chats, Telegram offers two choices: Channels and Groups. You can either join an existing channel to receive updates on a specific topic or create your own. Only admins can post messages on channels, while members can only view them.
Telegram users can have a lot of members and even can search for sources to buy Telegram views. There is no alternative to Telegram as it allows to add up to 2,00,000 members to the group.
Even though none of these applications provides high-level team organization features, few small businesses and start-ups use them as office chat apps or team communication tools, adjusting to their features.
WhatsApp vs Telegram: Files Sharing
Both chat applications allow users to share media files and documents with other users, including PDF files and Excel sheets.
Users can share files up to 100MB in size using WhatsApp. This restriction is 16MB for videos recorded with WhatsApp. If a user attempts to send a file that exceeds this limit, an error message will appear. Users can, however, send large file links saved in Google Drive to the recipient.
Telegram users can transfer files up to 2GB in size each, such as movies, songs, and videos. When comparing the two apps for this purpose, Telegram reigns supreme. In this case, there are no Telegram alternatives.
Telegram users are frequently exposed to movie selections and groups that advocate piracy, and adult content in random cases, posing a risk of hackers adding viruses through such files.
WhatsApp vs Telegram: Storage Limit
WhatsApp has a limit in size hence it restricts video, image, and document files, making it tough for its users.
Telegram has no storage restriction, which is one of its most appealing offers. All user interactions, including text messages, files, and other items, will be saved in the cloud. Users can log in from any device to view, access, and download their data. Users can send any form of file up to 2 GB in size over Telegram.
Telegram is better than WhatsApp in terms of storage and allowing users to send compressed versions of multimedia files.
WhatsApp vs Telegram: Encryption
There is a significant difference between Telegram and WhatsApp in terms of encryption
Facebook has seen substantial growth post acquiring WhatsApp, conversely, WhatsApp has witnessed a decline as a result of the policies implemented in Facebook's favor.
WhatsApp revealed its Privacy Policy in January 2021, which users must agree to by February 8, 2021, or they will be unable to use the app. WhatsApp's parent company, Facebook, would be able to exchange data under the new policy. Users across the world felt deprived and as a result, this policy incurred them to opt for WhatsApp alternatives, which helped its contemporaries in gaining a huge number of users overnight.
For the best-known reasons WhatsApp has revoked its policies, which states that WhatsApp and Facebook don’t have any capacity to see the users’ messages or hear their calls with friends, family, etc., on WhatsApp. Whatever users share will remain private as every personal message is encrypted from end to end.
The new policy update has no impact on the privacy of users' communications, rather, the changes are connected to WhatsApp's optional business services, and WhatsApp will be transparent about how they gather and utilize the data.
Telegram
Two layers of safe encryption are supported by Telegram. Cloud Conversations (private and group chats) use server-client encryption, while Secret Chats use an additional layer of end-to-end encryption. Text, media, and files are all encrypted in the same way, regardless of their type. It implies that Secret chats are way more secure than one-on-one or group chats.
Telegram uses 256-bit symmetric AES encryption, Diffie–Hellman secures key exchange, and 2048-bit RSA encryption.
WhatsApp vs Telegram: Unique Features
There are very few unique features in these two apps compared to other chat apps such as Joinable Calls, Disappearing Messages features in WhatsApp, and Secret Chat in Telegram.
Joinable Calls
You can use this tool to join an ongoing group video or voice call from within the group chat. When a group call is started, a tab with a Join Call button appears in the group, which you can see when you open your WhatsApp group. As a result, the call is only open to group members.
Both Disappearing Messages and Secret Chat have a small similarity yet there is a vast difference in functionality, as the messages will start disappearing from your chat either in the group or one on one chat, as in WhatsApp messages will disappear after 7 days, and in Telegram, they will disappear as per your chosen time such as one second to one week.
Disappearing Messages
Tap on the user or group, then select Disappearing Messages, your chat will disappear after 7 days.
- The chat can be forwarded or can be taken as a screenshot.
- In case the receiver didn’t open the message, after 7 days the message will disappear but the preview will be available for the receiver to view it.
- As per the WhatsApp backup standards, the message will be included in the backup before it disappears but it will be deleted while restoring the backup after the due time.
Secret Chat
On your desired user or group profile, tap the Start Secret chat from the 3 dots menu, and select a time using self destructor time option.
- You cannot forward the chats and you cannot take the screenshot.
- Messages will disappear or self-destruct as per your chosen time.
- No one can intrude on the chat.
In this context of WhatsApp vs Telegram, Telegram is the clear winner.
WhatsApp, its parent company Facebook, and the other acquisition Instagram were all down for more than 5 hours in October 2021. Later, Mr. Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook's CEO, apologized for the disruption through his official social media account. For reference view the original post on Facebook.
The official Facebook blog stated that the fundamental cause was a configuration change in backbone routers that coordinate network traffic between their data centers, causing complications that resulted in the outage. They also have no proof that user data was compromised as a result of the disruption.
Conclusion
The aforementioned comparison between the giant instant messaging software WhatsApp and Telegram is presented without being biased toward any chat application, specifically discussing their encryption. So, whatever the chat app you use, be ensured that you are using an encrypted chat app rather than an app with maximum features, we are living in times where our communication data is a product to others, and it will be used to their advantage and possibly against us.
‘Your life is as secure as the chat application you are using.’
