Telegram’s features make it a worthy application for secure communication. Did you know you can send disappearing chats and other media on Telegram? This is made possible through various features like a self-destruct timer, whereby a message disappears within the time you set when the receiver reads it. At first glance, however, Telegram seems to lack one prevalent feature readily present on Signal and WhatsApp: sending self-destructing messages. That, however, is not the case: it is perfectly possible to send self-destructing messages on Telegram, it just takes a bit of know-how.
If you don’t know how to send a self-destructing photo in Telegram, this article explains two methods you can use.
How To Send Self-Destructing Photos in Telegram in 2 Ways
Telegram has included features in its application to enable the sending of self-destructing media. The most common feature is Secret Chat, which, when enabled, causes messages and photos you send to a person to disappear after the receiver leaves the chat. Images and other media are the only messages that have a self-destructing feature from the get-go. On both Apple and Android, select the picture you want to send and select the little clock in the lower-right corner. Then, Telegram will ask you how long the “lifetime” of the picture should be. Once the time reaches 0, the picture will self-destruct.
Before performing these steps, note that you cannot send disappearing photos to groups or channels. The feature is only applicable when sending messages through direct messages in Telegram. Other than that, Telegram allows self-destructing messages too. However, they don’t exist on regular chats, and users have to create a “Secret chat” with the person they want to text with.
Method #1: Through Secret Chat
Secret chat is one of the easiest ways of sending self-destructing photos, videos, and messages on Telegram. You need to enable the feature on Telegram, and the media you send will disappear. Follow these steps:
- Launch Telegram on your mobile device.
- Find the contact to whom you wish to send photos and open the chat.
- Tap on their profile at the top.
- Tap the “More” option (three-dot icon).
- Go to “Start Secret Chat” and tap the option.
- Tap on “Start” to confirm you want to enable Secret chat with the selected contact. To create a Secret chat, start by tapping on the username of the person you want to text with. On the upper-right corner (for Android), or below the name and profile picture (for iOS), tap on the three dots to open a menu. Then, select “Start secret chat””.
- Once you enter Secret Chat mode, click on the “Set Self-destruct Timer”.
- Pick a period within which a photo will be visible to the receiver.
- Tap on the paperclip icon in the bottom left corner.
- Select the photo from your gallery.
- Click the send icon to send the photo. Once the secret chat is created, the same clock for self-destructing pictures will appear in the white box for text messages. Clicking on it will open the same timer, after which the message will self-destruct.
After the time you have set ends, the receiver will notice the photos you sent have been deleted automatically. Bear in mind that this type of encryption is not used on channels and groups. This can open a swath of safety breaches by scammers and bots. Indeed, Telegram can be a nest of awful scams if users are not careful.
Method #2: Use the Self-Destruct Timer
If you don’t want to enter into Secret Chat mode with a person, you can send your photos with a timer, after which the messages will disappear. Note that this method is currently only available for Android devices. iOS users have to use the first method to send disappearing images on Telegram.
Follow these steps:
- Launch Telegram on your mobile device.
- Find the chat you wish to send photos to.
- Tap the paperclip icon for the attachment.
- Tap on a photo you want to send.
- Tap the timer icon with half a cut circle.
- Select the time the photo will take to get deleted.
- Tap the send arrow to send the image.
When you send your photo, it will go with a blurred thumbnail to prompt the receiver to tap on it. Once someone clicks on it, the timer you set will begin, and the photo will be deleted from both chats. Moreover, you don’t have to worry that the receiver can access a self-destructing photo from their media because they cannot be saved after deletion, nor can they be forwarded.
Similarly to other platforms like Messenger or Instagram, if the receiver screenshots the disappearing photo, you will get a notification from Telegram about it. Generally, Telegram is a very safe messaging app. In regular chats, it uses end-to-end encryption for calls, which is extended to messages in secret chats.
| Method | Steps | Availability |
|---|---|---|
| Secret Chat | Enable Secret Chat, Set Self-Destruct Timer, Send Photo | iOS and Android |
| Self-Destruct Timer | Attach Photo, Set Timer, Send Photo | Android Only |
Secure Your Photos on Telegram
Self-destructing messages and other media are a suitable trick when sharing sensitive data. If Telegram is your chatting platform, read this article to learn two ways of sending self-destructing photos. Moreover, once you use the feature, you don’t need to worry that the receiver will take a screenshot because you will be notified about it by Telegram. Alternatively, if you are worried about safety on Telegram, you can try using a VPN to shield your IP address. Secret chats are extremely safe. Telegram usually stores chat data on its servers, but that does not happen with secret chats.
