You won’t see these Telegram features on WhatsApp

5 Best Telegram Features List, Telegram Features 2021: Features like screen sharing, personal cloud storage, and more offer a great messaging experience, but one will not find them on popular messaging apps like WhatsApp.

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5 min readNew DelhiSep 7, 2021 11:24 AM IST First published on: Sep 3, 2021 at 02:00 PM IST

Telegram is gradually making its app more engaging by adding new features every month, and it has seen a rise in popularity and usage, especially in India this year. There are a lot of interesting features that Telegram offers such as screen sharing, scheduling messages, personal cloud storage, chat folders, which are missing on WhatsApp. Here’s a quick look at a few Telegram features that we wish to see on WhatsApp. Of course, for now, Telegram is a solid option for these.

Chat Folders

This is a great feature because Telegram is not just a messaging app, it is an open-source platform, which is used for public discussions and a one-way broadcast communication stream. So, if you have too many channels on the main list, you can separate that from work, or family stuff and then swipe between the tabs to quickly access any of your chats. There is a “Folders” feature in the settings section, which lets you create tabs for Home, Work, or anything else.

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Once you tap on Create Folder, you will notice an “Add Chats” button. If your folder’s name is Home, then you can add all your family members’ chat in that folder by tapping on the “Add Chats” button. Once you are done with this, Telegram will show two different tabs, one will be the main list and the other one will be “Home,” which you created to separate personal chats from channels you follow.

This way you can immediately find your loved ones as well as your favourite channels. You can also pin chats to find the important chats at the top of the screen.

Video Screen sharing

Telegram lets you share your device’s screen during a video call. This feature is only available for group video calls. You just need to start a video call and then tap on the three-dotted button, which is located in the “Video Chat” space. Telegram will then display a few options, out of which you need to select screen sharing.

The app will then display two small screens, one for screen sharing and the other one will show your face. You can double-tap on any two of them to get a bigger view. The process to minimise the screen is similar. In case you are unaware, the app lets you make both voice and group video calls.

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Cloud storage/Large files

Unlike WhatsApp, Telegram is a cloud-based messenger. People get to access their messages from several devices at once, including tablets and computers. There is also a personal “Saved Messages” section in the app, which lets you use it as a notepad. Users can jot down important messages or save photos here and they will be backed up on Telegram’s secure cloud, just like your chats.

This feature is visible when you visit the menu, which is located on the top left side of the screen. The Saved Messages feature is accessible on your phone, laptop, and any other device where your account is logged in. You get to send high-resolution photos, videos, and files of up to 2GB each, which is not possible on WhatsApp.

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Schedule messages

This is a feature that you will rarely find in popular messaging apps like WhatsApp. Telegram users can schedule messages, but also edit them any time they want.

The maximum time you get to edit your text messages is two days after they were sent. The feature is available for both private chats and groups. To schedule a message on Telegram, you first need to type a message and then long-press on the send icon. Telegram will then show you the Schedule message option, which you need to tap on to set time and day.

Archived box

WhatsApp lets you Archive chats, but Telegram offers a better way to access the hidden chats. On WhatsApp, you need to scroll until the end of the chat window to find the Archive section. There is no immediate way to find this section.

Telegram, on the other hand, lets you access the Archive box by just swiping down once on the main list. The Archive box will then automatically appear at the top of the screen. It disappears automatically when you scroll down a bit.