by Ben Stegner at Make Use Of
Whatever your reasons for using Telegram, it’s a solid messaging app. It makes for a great alternative to WhatsApp and SMS messaging, and Telegram is well worth using, especially if you can persuade your friends to join.
However, if you haven’t moved beyond the basics, you’re missing out on a lot of the best Telegram functionality. Below, we detail some lesser-known features of Telegram that you may have overlooked until now.
1. Migrate Phone Numbers, or Add a Second Number
Have you ever needed to change your phone number but worried about transferring all your contacts and other information to the new number? While this can be a lot of work, Telegram does it all for you. You can easily change the phone number attached to your account without losing any of your chats or contacts.
To change the number you use with Telegram, open Settings (which is inside the left menu on Android). On iPhone, in the next menu, tap Edit in the top-right corner. This step isn’t necessary on Android.
Then choose Change Number and follow the instructions. This will move all messages, clients, and media to your new mobile number. Plus, Telegram will automatically add your new number in the address books of all your contacts.
If you want to add a second number instead of migrating, Telegram also lets you use multiple accounts at once. For Android, on the left sidebar, tap your contact info to expand the account switcher and choose Add Account. On iPhone, tap Edit on the profile page and choose Add Another Account.
You can use this to, for example, keep your personal and professional lives separate on Telegram without having to use another messenger app.
2. Upload Multiple Profile Pictures to Telegram
Speaking of multiples, Telegram allows you to upload additional profile photos. While the latest photo is the profile picture your contacts will see, they can swipe to see the rest of your pictures.
To upload new profile images, open Settings. On Android, tap on the camera icon at the top-right. On iPhone, tap the Edit button and choose Set New Photo or Video.
You can take a new photo, upload an existing one, search the web for a new image, or remove your current photo.
Tap your profile picture here to see everything you’ve uploaded in the past. You can scroll across them; tap the Set as Main Photo option that appears on the top-right menu (as three dots on Android or Edit on iPhone) to set an older image as your current profile picture.
