Android Telegram Source v5.4 has been released
The new pace is still not like regular FOSS projects where the source is released with the binaries but exceptionally great considering their past behaviour! We will not spam you with source update notifications if this becomes the new normal and only send changes and other info. We will see how the situation develops. :)
No sign of server or TGX sources yet. No sign of Telegram caring about E2E (secret chats) either as Telegram Desktop still doesn't have it. (Only the Mac client that's made by another developer.)
The new pace is still not like regular FOSS projects where the source is released with the binaries but exceptionally great considering their past behaviour! We will not spam you with source update notifications if this becomes the new normal and only send changes and other info. We will see how the situation develops. :)
No sign of server or TGX sources yet. No sign of Telegram caring about E2E (secret chats) either as Telegram Desktop still doesn't have it. (Only the Mac client that's made by another developer.)
Telegram-FOSS v5.4 has been released! Get it via F-Droid now!
Time between TG source updates was
Time between TG source and TG-FOSS release:
Big thanks to the Telegram-FOSS maintainers for a prompt update!
This update has not been marked as "suggested" in F-Droid yet, but you can install it by searching for Telegram, clicking on versions (scroll down) and then selecting 5.4 manually.
Changelog: https://t.me/OpenSourceTelegram/51
No sign of server or TGX sources yet whatsoever.
Time between TG source updates was
4 days this time. (binary February 27 - source March 3)Time between TG source and TG-FOSS release:
6 days. (March 3 - March 9) (not including time for F-Droid to build)Big thanks to the Telegram-FOSS maintainers for a prompt update!
This update has not been marked as "suggested" in F-Droid yet, but you can install it by searching for Telegram, clicking on versions (scroll down) and then selecting 5.4 manually.
Changelog: https://t.me/OpenSourceTelegram/51
No sign of server or TGX sources yet whatsoever.
Telegram
Open Source Telegram
Android Telegram v5.4 has been released
- Autoplaying videos. Videos in chats start playing automatically, press the volume buttons on your device to turn sound on.
- New settings for automatic media download. Control data consumption with granular precision…
- Autoplaying videos. Videos in chats start playing automatically, press the volume buttons on your device to turn sound on.
- New settings for automatic media download. Control data consumption with granular precision…
Android Telegram v5.5 has been released
A phenomenal update! So far you could delete messages (for both ends) in regular chats only for 48h. Now you can do so indefinitely - and any message. Should you or the other person have sent private information you can now delete it, completely.
If anyone from the Telegram team is reading this:
This should be the default option as there is no reason to not delete for both ends. If you accidentally forget about setting the checkbox there is no way to fix that currently.
You should still use secret chats as they are end-to-end encrypted and you can already delete as you wish there. Regular chats are a convenience feature due to being session-independent, but their impact on privacy depends entirely on Telegram's organisation not lying to us. We have seen virtually any big company/organisation lie in recent history so you may not want to rely on it. Government pressure to eliminate or at least backdoor encryption is also growing stronger, see Australia and UK for the most prominent examples.
This update is a huge committment to privacy nonetheless which is unheard of on other platforms. Not even a certain fancy, fully FOSS messenger offers this level of control. The perpetrator shall not be named..
Another extremely important aspect is forwarding privacy: So far anybody could forward your messages anywhere - with a permanent link to your profile. Now you can disable that in privacy settings. The forwarded message will unfortunately still show your name outside of the regular text message. You will still have a certain level of plausible deniability, but having the name as plain text would be a more elegant solution since anyone could have created a message like that.
Full changelog:
- Delete any message on both ends in any private chat, anytime.
- New privacy settings for message forwarding and profile pictures.
- Redesigned panel for Emoji, GIFs and Stickers with new search.
- Emoji suggestions for the first word you type in a message.
- Streaming support for GIFs and video messages.
- Search in Settings.
- TalkBack support.
- Improved call quality.
Again no source release this time, which is especially aggravating seeing how this update has very desirable features. Recent source releases have been relatively quick though so let's hope we'll get lucky again! (And pray to the F-Droid build server 😅)
In the meantime you can enable forwarding privacy via TG-Desktop if you like. Uninstalling your current Telegram-FOSS would invalidate all your secret/E2E chats.
No sign of server or TGX sources yet. No sign of Telegram caring about E2E (secret chats) either as Telegram Desktop still doesn't have it. (Only the Mac client that's made by another developer.)
A phenomenal update! So far you could delete messages (for both ends) in regular chats only for 48h. Now you can do so indefinitely - and any message. Should you or the other person have sent private information you can now delete it, completely.
If anyone from the Telegram team is reading this:
This should be the default option as there is no reason to not delete for both ends. If you accidentally forget about setting the checkbox there is no way to fix that currently.
You should still use secret chats as they are end-to-end encrypted and you can already delete as you wish there. Regular chats are a convenience feature due to being session-independent, but their impact on privacy depends entirely on Telegram's organisation not lying to us. We have seen virtually any big company/organisation lie in recent history so you may not want to rely on it. Government pressure to eliminate or at least backdoor encryption is also growing stronger, see Australia and UK for the most prominent examples.
This update is a huge committment to privacy nonetheless which is unheard of on other platforms. Not even a certain fancy, fully FOSS messenger offers this level of control. The perpetrator shall not be named..
Another extremely important aspect is forwarding privacy: So far anybody could forward your messages anywhere - with a permanent link to your profile. Now you can disable that in privacy settings. The forwarded message will unfortunately still show your name outside of the regular text message. You will still have a certain level of plausible deniability, but having the name as plain text would be a more elegant solution since anyone could have created a message like that.
Full changelog:
- Delete any message on both ends in any private chat, anytime.
- New privacy settings for message forwarding and profile pictures.
- Redesigned panel for Emoji, GIFs and Stickers with new search.
- Emoji suggestions for the first word you type in a message.
- Streaming support for GIFs and video messages.
- Search in Settings.
- TalkBack support.
- Improved call quality.
Again no source release this time, which is especially aggravating seeing how this update has very desirable features. Recent source releases have been relatively quick though so let's hope we'll get lucky again! (And pray to the F-Droid build server 😅)
In the meantime you can enable forwarding privacy via TG-Desktop if you like. Uninstalling your current Telegram-FOSS would invalidate all your secret/E2E chats.
No sign of server or TGX sources yet. No sign of Telegram caring about E2E (secret chats) either as Telegram Desktop still doesn't have it. (Only the Mac client that's made by another developer.)
Forwarded from Pavel Durov
How did you like the privacy-focused update of Telegram?
Anonymous Poll
56%
Awesome, keep it up! 👍
44%
Awful, take it back 👎
The new privacy features might be killed again, vote now
an impromptu post due to urgency, a detailed article on Telegram in general may be posted at a later date
We just got some much needed privacy features on Telegram but current polls show they might kill it again because some people don't understand how the internet works.
If we want to control our data and not have our data control us we should've never used the old style regular chat/PM system of Telegram and should not do so going forward. Anything you write can and will be used against you. Messages are easily taken out of context. The true abuse lies in the easy exploitation of random data - and politics prove that on a daily basis.
Many of our more non-techy friends and family are also prone to accidental oversharing and we easily end up with our most private data on other peoples' computers ("the cloud"). The new features allow rectifying this easily. The old system does not.
Above is the official poll on the matter. I firmly believe in freedom of choice and speech - but if you care about privacy, and I suppose you do since you're reading this, I strongly advise voting yes. We don't often get privacy features from Telegram. There is still no visible intent to add E2E to TG-Desktop for instance. This decision may just impact the future path of Telegram.
Quick info:
old regular chats: 48h limit for deletion, only deleting your own possible
new regular chats: no limit for deletion, deleting any message possible
E2E/secret chats are unchanged: no limit for deletion, deleting any message possible
groups are unchanged: no limit for deletion, obviously only deleting your own messages possible
Disclaimer:
Malicious parties can always log on their own. But you always have plausible deniability. The important aspect lies in
a. removing data from 3rd party servers ("the cloud")
b. unlinking your messages from your identity
This is given with the new update. The only requirement is that we trust Telegram to not lie to our face as mentioned in the previous post. Truly private discussions should only be had with TG-Foss and E2E.
If you want to talk about it see the group link in the @PrivacyToday pin.
an impromptu post due to urgency, a detailed article on Telegram in general may be posted at a later date
We just got some much needed privacy features on Telegram but current polls show they might kill it again because some people don't understand how the internet works.
If we want to control our data and not have our data control us we should've never used the old style regular chat/PM system of Telegram and should not do so going forward. Anything you write can and will be used against you. Messages are easily taken out of context. The true abuse lies in the easy exploitation of random data - and politics prove that on a daily basis.
Many of our more non-techy friends and family are also prone to accidental oversharing and we easily end up with our most private data on other peoples' computers ("the cloud"). The new features allow rectifying this easily. The old system does not.
Above is the official poll on the matter. I firmly believe in freedom of choice and speech - but if you care about privacy, and I suppose you do since you're reading this, I strongly advise voting yes. We don't often get privacy features from Telegram. There is still no visible intent to add E2E to TG-Desktop for instance. This decision may just impact the future path of Telegram.
Quick info:
old regular chats: 48h limit for deletion, only deleting your own possible
new regular chats: no limit for deletion, deleting any message possible
E2E/secret chats are unchanged: no limit for deletion, deleting any message possible
groups are unchanged: no limit for deletion, obviously only deleting your own messages possible
Disclaimer:
Malicious parties can always log on their own. But you always have plausible deniability. The important aspect lies in
a. removing data from 3rd party servers ("the cloud")
b. unlinking your messages from your identity
This is given with the new update. The only requirement is that we trust Telegram to not lie to our face as mentioned in the previous post. Truly private discussions should only be had with TG-Foss and E2E.
If you want to talk about it see the group link in the @PrivacyToday pin.
Android Telegram v5.6 has been released
The last few posts spoke too soon - apparently Telegram and DrKLO have not changed one tiny bit. Still no source for v5.5 and not for v5.6 either. Anyway, some of the new features work in TG-Desktop already, but since there is no source yet, there is no deblobbed/FOSS build available yet either. You will be notified as soon as it happens.
Changelog:
- Swipe left on any chat to archive it.
- Swipe left on your archive to hide it from the chat list.
- Pin an unlimited number of chats in your archive.
- See who is online straight from the chat list and sharing menu.
- Select multiple chats in the chats list to delete, pin or archive them.
- Choose between two-line and three-line chats in the chat list.
- Enjoy the redesigned app icon and menus throughout the app.
- Use the quick 'Forward' buttons when selecting messages in a chat.
- Copy links to messages in private groups to share with other group members.
https://telegram.org/blog/archive-and-new-design
No sign of server or TGX sources yet. No sign of Telegram caring about E2E (secret chats) either as Telegram Desktop still doesn't have it. (Only the Mac client that's made by another developer.)
The last few posts spoke too soon - apparently Telegram and DrKLO have not changed one tiny bit. Still no source for v5.5 and not for v5.6 either. Anyway, some of the new features work in TG-Desktop already, but since there is no source yet, there is no deblobbed/FOSS build available yet either. You will be notified as soon as it happens.
Changelog:
- Swipe left on any chat to archive it.
- Swipe left on your archive to hide it from the chat list.
- Pin an unlimited number of chats in your archive.
- See who is online straight from the chat list and sharing menu.
- Select multiple chats in the chats list to delete, pin or archive them.
- Choose between two-line and three-line chats in the chat list.
- Enjoy the redesigned app icon and menus throughout the app.
- Use the quick 'Forward' buttons when selecting messages in a chat.
- Copy links to messages in private groups to share with other group members.
https://telegram.org/blog/archive-and-new-design
No sign of server or TGX sources yet. No sign of Telegram caring about E2E (secret chats) either as Telegram Desktop still doesn't have it. (Only the Mac client that's made by another developer.)
Android Telegram Source v5.6.1 has been released
We're back at the highly irregular pace.. At least it got released.
Telegram-FOSS should follow quickly as usual and you will be notified once you can download it from F-Droid.
No sign of server or TGX sources yet. No sign of Telegram caring about E2E (secret chats) either as Telegram Desktop still doesn't have it. (Only the Mac client that's made by another developer.)
We're back at the highly irregular pace.. At least it got released.
Telegram-FOSS should follow quickly as usual and you will be notified once you can download it from F-Droid.
No sign of server or TGX sources yet. No sign of Telegram caring about E2E (secret chats) either as Telegram Desktop still doesn't have it. (Only the Mac client that's made by another developer.)
Telegram-FOSS v5.6.1 has been released! Get it via F-Droid now!
Time between TG source updates was
Time between TG source and TG-FOSS release:
Big thanks to the Telegram-FOSS maintainers for a prompt update!
Changelog:
v5.5
https://t.me/OpenSourceTelegram/57
v5.6
https://t.me/OpenSourceTelegram/63
No sign of server or TGX sources yet whatsoever.
Time between TG source updates was
51 days this time. (binary March 24 - source May 14)Time between TG source and TG-FOSS release:
9 days. (May 14 - May 23) (not including time for F-Droid to build)Big thanks to the Telegram-FOSS maintainers for a prompt update!
Changelog:
v5.5
https://t.me/OpenSourceTelegram/57
v5.6
https://t.me/OpenSourceTelegram/63
No sign of server or TGX sources yet whatsoever.
libre friendly version of TG-Desktop for Debian
Thanks to @xaiki for pointing out there is a version of TG-Desktop with some telemetry removed in the Debian repositories.
Debian package
Debian source
See
Thanks to @xaiki for pointing out there is a version of TG-Desktop with some telemetry removed in the Debian repositories.
Debian package
Debian source
See
Modify-build-scripts.patch in /debian/patches.Android Telegram v5.7 has been released
TG-Desktop, macOS, iOS have been updated as well. No source for Android has been released, as is usual with @DrKLO, who is still unable to understand the spirit of open source. Source is to be included in the release or your project is not open source. Randomly timed source releases are nothing but a marketing gimmick. The developers of TG-Desktop on the other hand understand that and have a regular repo.
Warning: This update can compromise your privacy. If you have the number of a person saved on your phone the other person will now see your number too, even if they did not originally have it. You need to disable this in privacy settings. Phone number display defaults to "my contacts", not "none".
The new feature to link a discussion group to a channel has a caveat to be aware of: it sets chat history to enabled, meaning every bot/crawler out there can grab your past discussions before you can ban it.
Changelog:
- Choose who can see your phone number with granular precision in Privacy & Security settings.
- Add group chats to "Always/Never Share" exceptions for any privacy setting. Permissions will update as users leave and join the groups.
- Enjoy improved design when confirming actions, searching for messages and adding users to groups.
- View any public channel from the web, even if you don't have a Telegram account.
For group admins and developers:
- Connect a discussion group to your channel, subscribers will see a 'Discuss' button.
- Integrate bots seamlessly with web services. For example, see t.me/DiscussThis/2
Telegram's blog post about the update
No sign of server or TGX sources yet. No sign of Telegram caring about E2E (secret chats) either as Telegram Desktop still doesn't have it. (Only the Mac client that's made by another developer.)
TG-Desktop, macOS, iOS have been updated as well. No source for Android has been released, as is usual with @DrKLO, who is still unable to understand the spirit of open source. Source is to be included in the release or your project is not open source. Randomly timed source releases are nothing but a marketing gimmick. The developers of TG-Desktop on the other hand understand that and have a regular repo.
Warning: This update can compromise your privacy. If you have the number of a person saved on your phone the other person will now see your number too, even if they did not originally have it. You need to disable this in privacy settings. Phone number display defaults to "my contacts", not "none".
The new feature to link a discussion group to a channel has a caveat to be aware of: it sets chat history to enabled, meaning every bot/crawler out there can grab your past discussions before you can ban it.
Changelog:
- Choose who can see your phone number with granular precision in Privacy & Security settings.
- Add group chats to "Always/Never Share" exceptions for any privacy setting. Permissions will update as users leave and join the groups.
- Enjoy improved design when confirming actions, searching for messages and adding users to groups.
- View any public channel from the web, even if you don't have a Telegram account.
For group admins and developers:
- Connect a discussion group to your channel, subscribers will see a 'Discuss' button.
- Integrate bots seamlessly with web services. For example, see t.me/DiscussThis/2
Telegram's blog post about the update
No sign of server or TGX sources yet. No sign of Telegram caring about E2E (secret chats) either as Telegram Desktop still doesn't have it. (Only the Mac client that's made by another developer.)
Android Telegram Source v5.7.1 has been released
We get a surprisingly fast source release this time! Telegram-FOSS should follow quickly as usual and you will be notified once you can download it from F-Droid.
Also note the currently published binary is v5.7 and not v5.7.1. It's probably just miniscule bugfixes and it looks like reorganization. If that should be the case there won't be a separate post once we know what this update changes as to not waste your time.
Changelog
No sign of server or TGX sources yet. No sign of Telegram caring about E2E (secret chats) either as Telegram Desktop still doesn't have it. (Only the Mac client that's made by another developer.)
We get a surprisingly fast source release this time! Telegram-FOSS should follow quickly as usual and you will be notified once you can download it from F-Droid.
Also note the currently published binary is v5.7 and not v5.7.1. It's probably just miniscule bugfixes and it looks like reorganization. If that should be the case there won't be a separate post once we know what this update changes as to not waste your time.
Changelog
No sign of server or TGX sources yet. No sign of Telegram caring about E2E (secret chats) either as Telegram Desktop still doesn't have it. (Only the Mac client that's made by another developer.)
Android Telegram v5.8 has been released
The sourcecode however has not as usual.
A good update privacy wise: you can now add contacts without phone numbers. So far you had to keep a chat open or remember the username if you didn't share numbers. You can also transfer group ownership now. Notifications gained some more granularity, see full changelog.
Changelog:
- Add any users to contacts, even if their phone numbers are not visible
- Go to Contacts > Add People Nearby to see and add people who also have this section open
- Host local communities by creating location-based group chats
- Transfer ownership of groups and channels by granting full rights to another admin. Useful when switching jobs or if you just want to retire as creator
- Toggle message previews for specific chats, and use Search and ‘Delete All’ tools in Notification Exceptions
Telegram's blog post about the update
No sign of server or TGX sources yet. No sign of Telegram caring about E2E (secret chats) either as Telegram Desktop still doesn't have it. (Only the Mac client that's made by another developer.)
The sourcecode however has not as usual.
A good update privacy wise: you can now add contacts without phone numbers. So far you had to keep a chat open or remember the username if you didn't share numbers. You can also transfer group ownership now. Notifications gained some more granularity, see full changelog.
Changelog:
- Add any users to contacts, even if their phone numbers are not visible
- Go to Contacts > Add People Nearby to see and add people who also have this section open
- Host local communities by creating location-based group chats
- Transfer ownership of groups and channels by granting full rights to another admin. Useful when switching jobs or if you just want to retire as creator
- Toggle message previews for specific chats, and use Search and ‘Delete All’ tools in Notification Exceptions
Telegram's blog post about the update
No sign of server or TGX sources yet. No sign of Telegram caring about E2E (secret chats) either as Telegram Desktop still doesn't have it. (Only the Mac client that's made by another developer.)
Android Telegram v5.9 has been released
The sourcecode however has not as usual. It is 2 versions behind now, good job @DrKLO! Pressing that upload button is really hard.
There are no changes on the privacy front, only a new sticker type has been added. The most interesting claim here is that these consume less battery than gifs.
Changelog:
- Send ultra-lightweight high-quality animated stickers to express emotion with motion.
- Receive animated stickers instantly on any connection at just 20-30 KB per sticker.
- Enjoy smooth animations at 60 frames per second.
- Create new animated sets and upload them to @stickers for everybody to use.
- Try animated stickers from the Trending tab in your sticker panel.
Telegram's blog post about the update
No sign of server or TGX sources yet. No sign of Telegram caring about E2E (secret chats) either as Telegram Desktop still doesn't have it. (Only the Mac client that's made by another developer.)
The sourcecode however has not as usual. It is 2 versions behind now, good job @DrKLO! Pressing that upload button is really hard.
There are no changes on the privacy front, only a new sticker type has been added. The most interesting claim here is that these consume less battery than gifs.
Changelog:
- Send ultra-lightweight high-quality animated stickers to express emotion with motion.
- Receive animated stickers instantly on any connection at just 20-30 KB per sticker.
- Enjoy smooth animations at 60 frames per second.
- Create new animated sets and upload them to @stickers for everybody to use.
- Try animated stickers from the Trending tab in your sticker panel.
Telegram's blog post about the update
No sign of server or TGX sources yet. No sign of Telegram caring about E2E (secret chats) either as Telegram Desktop still doesn't have it. (Only the Mac client that's made by another developer.)
Android Telegram Source v5.9 has been released
Telegram-FOSS should follow quickly as usual. The biggest delay is in the source release, and after that, the F-Droid build process.
Changelog
No sign of server or TGX sources yet. No sign of Telegram caring about E2E (secret chats) either as Telegram Desktop still doesn't have it. (Only the Mac client that's made by another developer.)
Telegram-FOSS should follow quickly as usual. The biggest delay is in the source release, and after that, the F-Droid build process.
Changelog
No sign of server or TGX sources yet. No sign of Telegram caring about E2E (secret chats) either as Telegram Desktop still doesn't have it. (Only the Mac client that's made by another developer.)
If you would like to see your client of choice here, please feel free to contact me. It should respect the user's privacy and be stable enough for real usage. All platforms are welcome.
Here's a poll regarding the notifications about Android TG-FOSS. The maintainers are doing a great job at quickly updating after source release, but F-Droid takes considerable time to build. It is available as an apk file directly from their repository much earlier.
Please note that you cannot cross-update, as the signatures differ. You could always reinstall of course, but that will make all your open E2E ("secret") chats inaccessible.
Here's a poll regarding the notifications about Android TG-FOSS. The maintainers are doing a great job at quickly updating after source release, but F-Droid takes considerable time to build. It is available as an apk file directly from their repository much earlier.
Please note that you cannot cross-update, as the signatures differ. You could always reinstall of course, but that will make all your open E2E ("secret") chats inaccessible.
When do you prefer to be notified about Android TG-FOSS?
Anonymous Poll
17%
When TG-FOSS is released
26%
When TG-FOSS is available on F-Droid
57%
both times
Telegram-FOSS v5.9 has been released!
The new version is only available via the TG-FOSS repository here, as F-Droid has not built yet. You'll receive a quick notification once F-Droid is ready too.
Thanks to the Telegram-FOSS maintainers for a prompt update!
Keep in mind the signature is different from the F-Droid version.
Changelog
No sign of server or TGX sources yet whatsoever.
The new version is only available via the TG-FOSS repository here, as F-Droid has not built yet. You'll receive a quick notification once F-Droid is ready too.
Thanks to the Telegram-FOSS maintainers for a prompt update!
Keep in mind the signature is different from the F-Droid version.
Changelog
No sign of server or TGX sources yet whatsoever.
TF-BETA-THERMATK-v5.9.0.apk
28.6 MB
Telegram-FOSS Github version
SHA-256:
SHA-256:
9AC7B2A1836ED4DE3DB9AFC4C0C1B10230FB069022B38A35AAD5327874D8915DTelegram-FOSS v5.9 is now available on F-Droid!
Refresh F-Droid to update
F-Droid package
Changelog
No sign of server or TGX sources yet whatsoever.
Refresh F-Droid to update
F-Droid package
Changelog
No sign of server or TGX sources yet whatsoever.
Android Telegram v5.10 has been released
The sourcecode however has not as usual. There are no changes on the privacy front, but a few quality of life additions. TG-Desktop has been updated as well.
Changelog:
- Hold the Send button to send any message without sound – in case the recipient is sleeping.
- Enable Slow Mode in Group Permissions to control how frequently members can post.
- Set custom titles for admins.
- Tap the paperclip icon to open the redesigned attachment menu.
- Toggle looped playback for animated stickers.
- See preview thumbnails when scrubbing through a video.
- Send animated emoji.
Telegram's blog post about the update
No sign of server or TGX sources yet. No sign of Telegram caring about E2E (secret chats) either as Telegram Desktop still doesn't have it. (Only the Mac client that's made by another developer.)
The sourcecode however has not as usual. There are no changes on the privacy front, but a few quality of life additions. TG-Desktop has been updated as well.
Changelog:
- Hold the Send button to send any message without sound – in case the recipient is sleeping.
- Enable Slow Mode in Group Permissions to control how frequently members can post.
- Set custom titles for admins.
- Tap the paperclip icon to open the redesigned attachment menu.
- Toggle looped playback for animated stickers.
- See preview thumbnails when scrubbing through a video.
- Send animated emoji.
Telegram's blog post about the update
No sign of server or TGX sources yet. No sign of Telegram caring about E2E (secret chats) either as Telegram Desktop still doesn't have it. (Only the Mac client that's made by another developer.)