The acquisition of WhatsApp by Facebook in 2014 was a thorn in the side of many people. Telegram took advantage of this concern as millions of people switched to this chat service. In addition to the mobile app, Telegram Desktop is also available for Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Telegram Desktop
LanguageDutch
OS
Windows 7/8/10; macOS; Linux
Website
//desktop.telegram.org 8 Score 80
- Pros
- Easy in use
- Security code and two-step verification
- gifs
- Negatives
- No video calls
- No secret chat sessions
While WhatsApp only rolled out a desktop client in 2016, Telegram Desktop has been around since 2013. Telegram Desktop initially starts in English, but you can activate the Dutch language immediately if desired. You also enter a mobile phone number, after which you receive a verification code on the device. After entering this code you can get started.
Simple user environment
The user environment of Telegram Desktop has little to do with it. On the left you can see which conversations are currently open, while you use the right part to send messages. In the main menu click on Contacts to see which other acquaintances are active on Telegram. Instead of exchanging text messages, you can just as easily have an audio conversation. Video calls are unfortunately not possible. Of course you use emoticons in conversations, although you can also use larger images to express emotions. You can also share moving GIF images directly, because the Giphy database is integrated. Finally, you can adjust the design to your own liking. For example, you select a larger scale display and a different background.
Security Measures
Telegram is known as a privacy-friendly WhatsApp alternative, but does that also apply to the PC version? As you might expect, the freeware includes several security features. For example, you protect the chat client with an access code and activate two-step verification. In addition, you can optionally remove the account including all data after a certain period of inactivity, for example after a month or year. Unlike the mobile app, Telegram Desktop does not provide an option anywhere to enable end-to-end encryption for secret conversations.
Conclusion
The secret chat sessions of the Telegram app with self-destructing messages is unfortunately missing from Telegram Desktop. However, this chat client is slightly more secure than the PC version of WhatsApp, because at least you can still activate a passcode and two-step verification. Unfortunately, the program does not have a video calling function. Nevertheless, Telegram Desktop is a useful addition for those who already use the mobile app of this chat service.
