"Who can see my phone number?": Set this to "Nobody". This is the most important setting. It ensures that your phone number is never displayed on your profile, even to people in your contacts list or those who found you via your username.
"Who can find me by my number?": Set this to "Nobody" as well. This prevents anyone from finding your Telegram profile by searching for your phone number, even if they have it from another source. Choosing "My Contacts" would allow only your contacts to find you this way.
Utilize a Telegram Username:
Go to Settings > Username and create a unique username (e.g., @YourUniqueID).
Share Your Username, Not Your Number: Always telegram number database share your username when you want to connect with people on Telegram, especially in public forums, social media, or with new acquaintances. This allows them to find and message you without ever knowing your phone number.
Control Contact Syncing:
Go to Settings > Privacy and Security > Contacts.
"Sync Contacts": Consider toggling this OFF. This prevents Telegram from uploading your device's address book to its servers. While Telegram states it only uses numbers and names for finding friends, disabling it offers maximum control.
"Delete Synced Contacts": If you've previously synced contacts, use this option to remove any contact data Telegram might have stored from your address book.
Enable Two-Step Verification (2FA):
Go to Settings > Privacy and Security > Two-Step Verification.
Set a strong cloud password and a recovery email address. This protects your account even if someone gains access to your phone number (e.g., via a SIM swap), as they would still need this password to log in.