New Telegram desktop app may just make users forget about security concerns

By Lulu Chang January 12, 2017

telegram desktop app a7c0863af9ecc4b3af — Image used with permission by copyright holder

Amid concerns over its security, Telegram is hoping to turn users’ attention to its aesthetics instead.

After a highly contentious, unconfirmed intelligence report began making the media rounds, Telegram was forced to go on the defensive. It assured the public that despite the report’s claim that the app was “of especial concern and therefore heavily targeted by the FSB [Russian secret service], not least because it was used frequently by Russian internal political activists and oppositionists,” users have nothing to worry about. And now Telegram is turning the focus to its recent beautification measures.

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The new desktop app is titled version 1.0, and it’s fully redesigned from the original, featuring animations and support for themes. It’s also taking a page out of the mobile app’s book, allowing users to delete messages from Telegram’s servers. Whereas before, removing a message from the desktop app would only delete it from the local device, Telegram’s update means that when you get rid of a message, you get rid of it completely. But take note — you can only delete recently sent messages (much like you can only edit recently sent messages).

It’s high time that the Telegram team rolled out an update for its desktop app, as it’s looked much the same since 2013. Your experience can now be fully customizable, especially since anyone can make a theme for Telegram Desktop and then install it on the app. The hope is that the app will eventually replace email, as it’s claimed to be “many times faster and handles attachments like a pro.”

So if you’re not concerned by potential encryption issues (Telegram says that the report in question “is likely to be fake”) and are all about new and improved design, then the latest version of Telegram might just be what you’ve been waiting for.

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