Encrypted messenger service Telegram will be in beta by February, final release due weeks later for Windows Phone

By Daniel Rubino
last updated

Back in November, we reported on Telegram, a new WhatsApp-like messenger service that is available on iOS and Android. Hailing from Russia and created the founders of VKontakte, Telegram (www.telegram.org) is a decentralized, cloud-based and encrypted messaging service that promises to be the fastest and most secure out there (it supports RSA 2048 encryption and Diffie–Hellman secure key exchange).

At the time, we reported that the client should be ready by January but as the month winds down, we still don’t have a client on our phone. The official Twitter account for Telegram has now confirmed their schedule, and while they are a little behind, we should have something tangible in the coming weeks.

“Several beta-stage Telegram clients coming to #WindowsPhone by Feb 1. Then the race for official status begins. Stay tuned!... wp7 support is an obligatory condition for an app to get official status. So there will be an app at least by Feb 23.”

As you can see, having it both Windows Phone 7 and 8 is the goal here, so this app will stand a chance of more widespread adoption. Back in November, a contest was announced to create the app, as reported by WP7Forum.ru and evidently, that competition is nearing a close.

On iOS, Telegram maintains a fairly high rating with 4.5 stars out of 5 with a lot of positive feedback. Will it be as successful on Windows Phone and will your friends and family use this instead of WhatsApp? It’s hard to say, but we’re excited to give it a spin.

Source: Twitter; via WP7Forum.ru

Daniel Rubino
Daniel Rubino
Editor-in-chief

Daniel Rubino is the Editor-in-chief of Windows Central, head reviewer, podcast co-host, and analyst. He has been covering Microsoft since 2007 when this site was called WMExperts (and later Windows Phone Central). His interests include Windows, laptops, next-gen computing, and for some reason, watches. Before all this tech stuff, he worked on a Ph.D. in linguistics, watched people sleep (for medical purposes!), and ran the projectors at movie theaters because it was fun.

57 Comments
  • Hey , its a fake photo!!
  • Nope, it's a real photo. Took it with a camera and everything! I think you meant to say it's a simulated launch screen for the WP app.
  • Is it faster than watsapp??
  • ...
  • Yep. Tested it on iOS. Sends the message even before I click send. Recieved the message even before the other person sent it.
  • That's nice. :)
  • iOS 7 on Lumia. Not fake at all.
  • Someone understands me :)
  • lol !
  • Omfg! That's hysterical. XD
  • If you look at the photo closely , you will notice that it is taken from IOS you can see the signal and the icons on the bar (up)
  • Look at the pixels...I can totally tell.
  • So it is a screen shot from an iPhone, :)
  • Are you a wizard?
  • ;)
  • The signals in notification bar is an ios one
  • No. Maybe it's web telegram It avaible via web.
  • Yippieee
  • So the Telgramz app I downloaded is a fake?
  • Unless you're a time traveler.
  • Lollllll
  • It's not fake, it just uses the Telegram API, just like all the other Telegram apps (also on iOS and Android) use / will use.
  • Right. Ok that's fine. Will wait for the official one. Thanks.
  • Am waiting...
  • I can see an app like thid getting quite popular in these days of doom and gloom over NSA surveillance. Advertise something as being secure or encrypted, and people will be all over it.
  • Too bad the NSA invented the encryptions everyone uses.
  • Touche. Though i fear I may still be right as far as uninformed consumers go.
  • Too bad you (tanglewoodDEV) don't know what you're talking about.  Pro tip, people: don't take facts about encryption from people in 'comments'. It's a poor way to learn about the world.
  • Fair enough-- I didn't think very hard, I apologize. I quite admire your work, sir, the last thing I wanted to do was embarrass myself in front of you. >>
  • Oh, but I do know what I am talking about Daniel.
    To say they invented the encryptions is incorrect but serves my point.
    Research the NSA and encryption standards.
    Pro tip: people don't take a WPC editor's word as that of God's.
  • "To say they invented the encryptions is incorrect" So we agree, I'm right, you're wrong. If you wanted to suggest that RSA encryption standards *may* have been compromised by the NSA, that's different. Nuance matters. 
  • Well, I didn't feel like writing a thesis on the subject. It was just a quip of a comment.
    Completely my fault assuming that some people would know what I was talking about... or heaven forbid, inspire someone to do their own research, but for people to think that any encryption is beyond the NSA's reach is being naive.
  • It is; that's why they resorted to hacking routers instead.
  • Thats a very misleading statement. If you are on TLS 1.2 with Forward Secrecy they cannot break your communication. Period. Google, Facebook and the likes already use it. Read some Bruce Schneier, get informed and encrypt your communcations!
    I still do lock my appartment door, despite the fact that it can be picked!
  • I'm relly looking forward for this. I would pay for it if it's really secured.
  • Of course it is. It is NSA approved. If you can't trust your government, who can 'ya trust?
  • I'm excited to try this out!
  • Im looking forward to giving this a spin.
  • What advantage could this possibly have over whatsapp? Do messages disappear in some type of snapchat manner?
  • Well, there's an unofficial webclient (official one is coming soon): http://zhukov.github.io/webogram/, and even a desktop app: http://tdesktop.com/. So you don't have to pick up your phone to chat with people, which I think is a GREAT improvement over WhatsApp, I value it even more than the security of the platform actually :p.
  • I'm hoping user name based rather than having to give out my phone number to be added to friends list.
  • What is this about security? Is there a WP central coverage on the matter I missed? Ok my messages are encrypted but where are my messages stored? What are the advantages over other messengers. Please guide me as I am too lazy to google the subject. Lazy but interested.
  • Hopefully we have all of the features when the official one comes out.
  • No it is not. Please leave your appartment door open 24/7, because door locks are a joke and can be picked.
  • Now that's a superb response! And hilarious too. :D
  • 8.1? The system tray is like iOS. Let me guess, it's photoshoped!
  • The system is decentralised? What does that mean?
  • Thought Kim dot com was bringing out a encryption app for calls, texts emails etc
  • That's kinda like a home invasion crew coming out with a home security system.
  • "we still don’t have a client on our phone."
    You guys are missinforming people ... There is a client for Telegram named "ChatZ Beta" it's not official but it is a working client. The same with Mega, the encrypted cloud service, there is a client named "MegaPhone" not official but working also.
     
  • So tomorrow we would perhaps have the official app?
  • Ooops...
  • Where is it?
  • February is about to end. Where is Telegram? not even Beta?
  • I think this is look like "flipboard" is coming or seems more fast
  • We r hearing abt only unofficial telegram app.were the hell is official one.
  • Exactly! Where on earth is the official wp app??