The Role of Usernames in Privacy
Posted: Thu May 29, 2025 4:20 am
Nobody: Your phone number will never be visible on your Telegram profile to any other user, regardless of whether they have your number saved or not. This is the most private option.
b. "Who can find me by my number?"
This setting dictates whether someone can find your Telegram profile by searching for your phone number in the app's search bar. This becomes available only if you select "Nobody" for "Who can see my phone number?".
Everybody: Even if your number is hidden on your profile, anyone who searches for your phone number in Telegram's search bar will be able to find your profile.
My Contacts: Only people who have your phone number saved in their device's address book (and use Telegram) will be able to find your profile by searching for your number. This is a common choice for enhanced privacy while still allowing known contacts to connect.
Anonymous Communication: Telegram's username feature (@YourUsername) is a powerful privacy tool. Once you set a username, people can find and message you using that username without ever telegram number database seeing or needing your phone number. You can share your username widely without exposing your personal contact information.
Default Contact Method: If you set your phone number visibility to "Nobody," your username becomes the primary way others can initiate contact with you if they don't already have you in their Telegram contacts.
4. Contact Syncing and Privacy Implications
Optional Feature: "Sync Contacts" (Settings > Privacy and Security > Contacts) is an optional feature. If enabled, Telegram securely uploads the phone numbers and names from your device's address book to its cloud servers.
b. "Who can find me by my number?"
This setting dictates whether someone can find your Telegram profile by searching for your phone number in the app's search bar. This becomes available only if you select "Nobody" for "Who can see my phone number?".
Everybody: Even if your number is hidden on your profile, anyone who searches for your phone number in Telegram's search bar will be able to find your profile.
My Contacts: Only people who have your phone number saved in their device's address book (and use Telegram) will be able to find your profile by searching for your number. This is a common choice for enhanced privacy while still allowing known contacts to connect.
Anonymous Communication: Telegram's username feature (@YourUsername) is a powerful privacy tool. Once you set a username, people can find and message you using that username without ever telegram number database seeing or needing your phone number. You can share your username widely without exposing your personal contact information.
Default Contact Method: If you set your phone number visibility to "Nobody," your username becomes the primary way others can initiate contact with you if they don't already have you in their Telegram contacts.
4. Contact Syncing and Privacy Implications
Optional Feature: "Sync Contacts" (Settings > Privacy and Security > Contacts) is an optional feature. If enabled, Telegram securely uploads the phone numbers and names from your device's address book to its cloud servers.