Telegram V2.00, by Telegram Messenger LLP is now available as a native app on the Apple Mac Store. It’s free & extremely fast, & also has multiplatform support for popular Cloud, mobile & desktop platforms, & supports end-to-end encryption. It’s a widely used alternative to popular proprietary messaging services like WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Line & Skype.
Users of the app can interact seamlessly with other networked users from any of the supported platforms, with support for free text messages, videos, photos & files sizes of up to 1.5 MB. Optionally, self-destructing end-to-end encrypted messages can be interchanged, as covered in a post by MakeUseOf.
Although Messenger accounts are tied to a user’s cell phone number, any of the user’s connected devices, like the desktop client for the Mac or the Windows or Web App versions, can be used interchangeably to send & receive messages. In a similar way to WhatsApp, the phone numbers are verified via an SMS or an automated phone call, then the user can use his phone or any other supported device.
Groups can be created with up to 200 members who can send & receive messages & multimedia Content. The platform also supports broadcast channels, “secret chats” via encrypted messages, programmable bots, stickers & many more features.
Telegram has been developed under a GNU open source license by the Russian brothers Nikolai & Pavel Durov. It was launched in 2013 as an alternative secure messaging platform in response to snooping & censorship of message traffic by authoritarian governments & the concern that the leading messaging companies & telcos were collaborating with them. As of late 2015, Telegram was reportedly being used worldwide by 60 million active users, with 12 million messages being delivered daily.
Despite some adverse “political” accusations which it has stoutly denied, Telegram is considered to be one of the most secure messaging platforms available due to the fact that it’s encrypted in transit, its code is open source & has been independently reviewed & audited.
Check out some of our previous Telegram coverage on tweaks & message traffic
Telegram for the Mac can be downloaded from the Mac App Store here
Image Credit: Telegram
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