How To Add By Username in Telegram

Jessie Richardson Read more March 27, 2020

With so many messaging apps available today, people tend to stick to the usual suspects. Be it WhatsApp, Viber, or Facebook Messenger, no one app seems to satisfy the needs of all users. That is, until you’ve tried Telegram.

Being a Cloud-based app, you can use Telegram from any device you want. Besides all the usual bells and whistles, Telegram also provides a high level of security. This applies to your in-app voice calls as well, as they’re protected with an end-to-end encryption. And if you want to find people to add to your chats, you can easily look them up by their username.

Adding People by their Telegram Username

When you want to add a new contact in Telegram, you can find them using the app’s search option. If that’s someone you already know, chances are you’ll know their mobile phone number as well. In that case, simply use that information to search for them in Telegram.

Of course, there are people who want to keep their privacy, preventing others from seeing their phone number or full name. If that’s your concern, you should consider creating a unique Telegram username. That way, all your personal information will remain hidden and people will only recognize you by that username.

To add someone by their username, simply start the Telegram app and type the username in the search bar. You can find it in the upper part of the screen. As you’re typing, you should see the available matches appearing below the search bar. Once you see the person you’ve been looking for, simply tap their name. A new chat window will open for that contact and now you can start a conversation.

What Is Telegram Username?

It’s important to note that there’s a difference between a display name and username in Telegram. When using a display name, this implies that your phone number is visible to others. Also, your number will be the app’s primary search criteria for your profile.

If you create a username, that becomes your public profile name for Telegram. Usernames start with the “@” sign, and are visible to everyone globally. In order to find you, people will have to know your username first. This also means that no one will be able to find you by your phone number anymore.

When people find you via your username, they’ll be able to send you messages without knowing your phone number at all. If you don’t feel comfortable with this, perhaps you might refrain from creating a username, full-stop. Many people don’t even know about the possibility of using Telegram @username, so they don’t have it set anyway.

And if you have any concerns about replying to someone you don’t know, rest assured. They won’t be able to see your phone number and name.

A Public Link for Your Profile

With usernames, you can also share your public Telegram profile link with others. It comes in the form of a short link that looks something like this: t.me/username. You can share it any way you like, be it via your e-mail, another messaging app, or even having it as a link on a website.

When people click your public link on their smartphone, it will automatically start the Telegram app, opening the chat with you. This is also true if they open it from their desktop computer or laptop. Either way, if they haven’t installed the app yet, they’ll see the link pointing to the app’s download location.

Creating the Telegram Username

If you still haven’t created your @username, you can do so by following these steps:

Open the Telegram app on your smartphone.
Tap the menu icon in the top left corner of the screen.
Tap “Settings”.
If you don’t have your username set, one of the listed options will show “None”. Right beneath it you’ll see “username” displayed in a lighter font.
Tap “None”.
The next screen allows you to define your public Telegram username. It needs to be at least five characters long and can contain any combination of letters, numbers, and underscores. If the username you just entered already exists, the app will tell you so.
When you’ve defined a desired username, tap the check mark in the upper right corner and you’re done.

If at any point you decide you want to change your username, simply follow the steps outlined above. The only difference will be in the “None” option, where it should now show your current username.

Public Privacy Through Telegram

Thanks to Telegram’s global usernames, none of your personal details will remain open to the public. If you want to use Telegram to stay in touch with only a small group of your close friends, then you won’t even need a username. That way, people you don’t actually know, won’t be able to contact you, thus keeping your privacy intact.

Have you managed to find your friends by their username? Have you created one for yourself? Please share your thoughts in the comments section below.