People typing ‘telegrams’ all over again
Many find Telegram more reliable as it has better security features
By : kruthi gonwar
Update: 2014-11-15 00:30 GMT
Hyderabad: With the news of the WhatsApp messenger service either shutting down or becoming a paid service doing the rounds almost every week, a lot of app-freaks from the city are on the lookout for a new messenger service. And, Telegram seems to be one of the most popular choices.
With the group settings being much more relaxed and the content being secure, Telegram definitely is the obvious choice, but WhatsApp wins over because of its popularity and its user-friendly interface.
Tech experts say that Telegram offers wider options, like allowing 200 people in a group (WhatsApp allows 50), a secure way of sending messages that are encrypted and a self destruct option for messages, which is a prerequisite today as safety is a major concern for data online.
“I like the way Telegram functions as I can connect and network with as many as 200 people at one go, which is not possible in WhatsApp. Also, the fact that the word Telegram has an Indian connection to it, it makes you want to download it,” said Krishna Boda, a software engineer.
While measuring the pros and cons of both apps, Sandeep Kumar, president of Telangana IT Association (TITA) said, “Comparing Telegram with WhatsApp, Telegram can be used on a cross-platform, PC, laptop, tablets. Whereas WhatsApp can be only be used on smart phones. With Telegram we can share documents and zip files and share MP3 as well. Telegram is user-friendly.
“However, WhatsApp has more users and it has already penetrated into the middle-class and lower middle class sections and it will take Telegram some more time to outdo the audience number of Whatsapp.
“But, when it comes to Telegram, the app has much more safety measures and the group settings are much more advanced,” said Mr Kumar.
Mr Shirish Gona, founder of Gotogether, an app specialised for carpooling, however, said, “The user-experience is very good for Telegram, but it is still a new face in the market. The USP of the app is its group settings. But at the same time, any new app must also be simple, which is where Whatsapp wins over Telegram. It is very user friendly and easier to use. If one wants to switch to Telegram, it is relatively new and one would not find many people on it. And, it is only limited to some operating devices.”