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--- messaging_candidates:telegram [2015/07/15 23:08] – created mithat
+++ messaging_candidates:telegram [2015/07/16 01:50] – [Telegram use notes] mithat
@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 ====== Telegram use notes ======
-Telegram uses an SMS-enabled phone number your account identifier. This isn't the most comfortable idea but is increasingly common with mobile-first apps and services.
+Telegram uses an SMS-enabled phone number as your identifier by default. You have the option of creating a username which others can then use to contact you with, but this is an additional step that most users are not going to take the time to do.
-However, with Telegram things seems to go beyond just using your phone number as an identifier. It seems anyone who has your phone number can initiate a session with you. While this is how conventional telephony and SMS work, I'm not sure it's the best model for modern, secure, and private communication.
 ===== Android app =====
 To start a conversation, a user must be in your contact list. By default, you have no contacts. The app has a feature that lets you invite users to Telegram in the form of a list of contacts from your contact list. When you ask the app to send an invite, it will send them an SMS directing them to get the app.
-  * The version of the app I failes to send SMS to invitees unless Google Hangouts is your default SMS app.
+  * The version of the app I fails to send SMS to invitees unless Google Hangouts is your default SMS app.
-  * I don't know what happens after you send the invite and the user responds as I don't use Google Hangouts for SMS.
+  * It's unclear at present if the app shows you whether a user in your contact list is Telegram-enabled or whether you need to discover this by attempting a session.