The popular Telegram messenger now allows users to create accounts without having to give their mobile numbers. With the latest app update, they can log in with blockchain-based numbers, and can also purchase cryptocurrency on the Fragment platform.

Telegram Accounts Requiring No Phone Numbers Offer a New Level of Privacy

One of the most widely used messaging services within the crypto community, Telegram, has just released an updated version of its app. It now allows users to create an account without linking it to their cell phone number, taking privacy to a greater level, according to an announcement.

Welcome to the dawn of a new era in privacy – You Can Now Have a Telegram Account Without a SIM Card

“On Telegram, your phone number was never visible to strangers: our users control who can see their number and whether others can find them by their phone number,” the Telegram team noted.

Instead, they can now log in using anonymous blockchain-powered numbers, revealed on Tuesday. These numbers can be purchased from the Fragment platform, using the cryptocurrency toncoin, which was created by Telegram for use in decentralized open-network blockchains.

Fragment was launched in late October and is a platform for auctioning blockchain tokens and buying usernames. Since May, Telegram Chats have enabled users to send and receive toncoins. In 2019, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) filed a complaint against Telegram, but the messenger was able to reach an agreement with the regulator in 2020.

Another privacy-focused feature included in this update allows users to set a global timer to delete messages from all chats. This can also be applied to existing chats. The company explained that while self-destructing messages were introduced back in 2013, the new option gives users more control.

In June, Telegram announced the launch of a premium tier to its services, in an effort to monetize its platform, which has over 700 million monthly users. In August, founder and CEO Pavel Durov talked about a variety of Web3 enhancements, such as the advantages of auctioning group and channel links, in addition to reserving and exchanging usernames.

What other features are you looking for in the messenger you use? Let us know in the comments below.

Lubomir Tassev

Lubomir Tassev is a tech-savvy eastern European journalist who is inspired by Hitchens’ quote: “Being a writer is who I am, more than what I do.” In addition to crypto, fintech, and blockchain, other topics that interest him are international politics and economics.