Telegram May Warn Chat Partners If You Use an Unofficial Client

A new entry has been discovered in the translation string database for the official Telegram for iOS client, indicating the potential introduction of warnings when a chat partner is using a third-party messenger client.

"The user uses an unofficial Telegram client – messages to this user may be less secure," reads the string for translation.

The appearance of such a notification is likely related to the growing popularity of the Russian third-party client "Telega", which, unlike a regular proxy, sends messages to a Russian company's servers in a way that allows them to be decrypted and read there. Furthermore, Russian companies are legally obligated to store and hand over data to the FSB upon request.

The @tginfo editors assume that Telegram isn't blocking this client directly as a compromise to maintain its position in the Russian market, but is striving to mitigate reputational risks: a single chat participant with an unofficial app is enough to put the remaining users at risk.

It is unknown whether the warning will be displayed when a chat partner uses any alternative client, even one that is officially registered and follows the API ToS, or if the new feature will only affect apps that Telegram deems unreliable. @tginfo editors fear that if the new feature applies to all third-party apps, this warning could turn into visual noise.

#iOS #security