Telegram voice calls is here!

I was shocked to learn that all chats on Telegram are unsecure unless done via secret chat. Why not just make all communication encrypted and secure?
 
d7e7r7 said:
I was shocked to learn that all chats on Telegram are unsecure unless done via secret chat. Why not just make all communication encrypted and secure?
Click to expand...

What makes you say it is not secure? All chats are encrypted by default. They just follow a slightly different route. Normal chats goes to a server (encrypted from your device to the server). From there it is sent to the recipient device (encrypted from server to recipient device). This allows for multi device support, so what you see on your phone is what you will see on all other devices (laptop, PC, Tablet etc). Secret chat goes straight to the recipient device (therefore you cannot see those chats on other devices)
 
d7e7r7 said:
I was shocked to learn that all chats on Telegram are unsecure unless done via secret chat. Why not just make all communication encrypted and secure?
Click to expand...

Telegram's servers and the chats stored on them are extremely secure. It's the communication channel that isn't encrypted by default, and it's done to give their users choice about how they use the service. If you use secret chats then you cannot continue that chat using the desktop client, the web app or another mobile device.

I don't give a damn about encrypting the channels used in my chats and give many damns about the awesome convenience of being able to pick up my chats on any device, without the need for tethering to my phone. Voice calls are always encrypted though.
 
Ockie said:
What makes you say it is not secure? All chats are encrypted by default. They just follow a slightly different route. Normal chats goes to a server (encrypted from your device to the server). From there it is sent to the recipient device (encrypted from server to recipient device). This allows for multi device support, so what you see on your phone is what you will see on all other devices (laptop, PC, Tablet etc). Secret chat goes straight to the recipient device (therefore you cannot see those chats on other devices)
Click to expand...
Just how I understood it from reading this: https://www.google.co.za/amp/s/www.expressvpn.com/blog/whatsapp-vs-telegram-encryption-battle/amp/


"The big difference lies not in what encryption protocols are being used, but how they are applied. WhatsApp automatically encrypts all your messages, and there is no option to send an unencrypted message. This is a huge difference compared to Telegram’s encryption, where you have to select “Secret Chat” to initiate a secure conversation. Many people don’t do this, either because it’s an extra step, or because they don’t understand the necessity.

Without encryption, chats are vulnerable to interception and surveillance, even more so on Telegram, where messages are stored until you delete them. WhatsApp, on the other hand, does not store messages, it only forwards them to your device. Even group chats are encrypted in WhatsApp."
Bryn said:
Telegram's servers and the chats stored on them are extremely secure. It's the communication channel that isn't encrypted by default, and it's done to give their users choice about how they use the service. If you use secret chats then you cannot continue that chat using the desktop client, the web app or another mobile device.

I don't give a damn about encrypting the channels used in my chats and give many damns about the awesome convenience of being able to pick up my chats on any device, without the need for tethering to my phone. Voice calls are always encrypted though.
Click to expand...
 
Ockie said:
What makes you say it is not secure? All chats are encrypted by default. They just follow a slightly different route. Normal chats goes to a server (encrypted from your device to the server). From there it is sent to the recipient device (encrypted from server to recipient device). This allows for multi device support, so what you see on your phone is what you will see on all other devices (laptop, PC, Tablet etc). Secret chat goes straight to the recipient device (therefore you cannot see those chats on other devices)
Click to expand...

Are you sure? I've never read that before. Always assumed it just wasn't encrypted by default.

/to the Googlemobile

Edit: First result in Google. I am now enlightened. Thanks for the heads up.
 
Last edited:
Bryn said:
That's probably some time away. The demand for video calling is around zero. The most common request was voice calling, and now it's here. And they're updating the desktop client to support voice calls soon, which is amazing.

Telegram is doing perfectly just as they are.
Click to expand...
They can just add it to the desktop apps. People still do video calls on their PCs and laptops.
 
d7e7r7 said:
So is my link wrong?
Click to expand...
Server-client encryption is used in Telegram cloud chats
Click to expand...
https://core.telegram.org/techfaq#q-how-does-server-client-encryption-work-in-mtproto

Q: So how do you encrypt data?
We support two layers of secure encryption. Server-client encryption is used in Cloud Chats (private and group chats), Secret Chats use an additional layer of client-client encryption. All data, regardless of type, is encrypted in the same way — be it text, media or files.

Our encryption is based on 256-bit symmetric AES encryption, 2048-bit RSA encryption, and Diffie–Hellman secure key exchange. You can find more info in the Advanced FAQ.
Click to expand...

https://telegram.org/faq#q-so-how-do-you-encrypt-data
 
backstreetboy said:
They can just add it to the desktop apps. People still do video calls on their PCs and laptops.
Click to expand...

I'd rather they stuck to voice calls. I'd be quite happy to order a good quality standing mic for my PC - I'm not buying a webcam.
 
faniebraai said:
you know most of the world is using laptops now, right?
Click to expand...

I would tune my friends and family using laptops to still buy a mic - laptop mics are awful. The cameras are usually awful too.

Even if I had a laptop and was prepared to tolerate the terrible audio quality (or rather, make other people tolerate it), I'd still prefer voice calls. I want to be able to do other things on my PC while I'm chatting, like I would during a regular phone call. Staring at the screen is just a nuisance.

That's not to say I don't want others who value such functionality to not have it. I'm just saying I wouldn't want Telegram to focus entirely on video calling development.
 
faniebraai said:
saw some news that they are planning to rewrite the ios app from scratch
Click to expand...
I don't know. I never complained on Telegram iOS client, it was working prefectly. Yes I mean this. Problem is that very recently I was tricked into upgrading my iPhone 4 to iOS7 (the move I resisted for 2 years or more). It was supposed to allow me to transfer Email accoounts to iPad. Transfer didn't work and now a very good phone turned into a piece of Android-like junk. Not only Telegram is giving problem, but many other applications suffer.
 
Please active my voice call
Telegram username is @renabrands
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top
Sign up to the MyBroadband newsletter
X