Telegram user deleting their account
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You need to provide your phone number to sign up for Telegram. That's how Telegram authenticates your identity. But you don't actually need to use your phone number to use Telegram. Here's how to hide your phone number in Telegram.

You can add users in Telegram in two ways: First, by using their phone numbers (either by manually adding them or by sharing your contact book), or by using unique usernames (similar to Twitter).

If you and your contacts use the username system, you can actually continue to use Telegram (join groups, subscribe to channels, and more) without ever sharing your phone number. To do this, all you have to do is disable a setting.

RELATED: How to Find and Join Telegram Channels

Hide Your Phone Number in Telegram on Android

You can hide your phone number in Telegram by switching to a different setting from the Android app. First, open the Telegram app on your Android smartphone and tap the three-line menu icon from the top-left corner.

Tap Menu in Telegram for Android

Select the "Settings" option.

Tap Settings in Telegram for Android

Now, go to the "Privacy and Security" section.

Select Privacy and Security in Telegram for Android

Here, choose the "Phone Number" option.

Tap Phone Number in Telegram

In the "Who Can See My Phone Number" section, you'll see that the default option is going to be "Everybody." If you only want to show your number to your contacts, switch to the "My Contacts" option.

If you don't want to show the phone number to anyone, select the "Nobody" option.

Choose My Contacts or Everybody

Once you choose the "Nobody" option, you'll see a new section called "Who Can Find Me By My Number." To be extra secure, you should change this setting to the "My Contacts" option.

Choose Who Can Find You on Telegram

This ensures that only users who are in your contact book can look you up on Telegram. No one else can find you or even see your phone number.

Once you're done, tap the checkmark icon in the top-right corner to save your settings.

Tap Checkmark to Save Options

Hide Your Phone Number in Telegram on iPhone

The process is slightly different in Telegram for iPhone. Open the Telegram app and go to the "Settings" tab.

Choose the "Privacy and Security" option.

Tap Privacy and Security in Telegram for iPhone

Now, go to the "Phone Number" section.

Select Phone Number from Settings

Here, you'll see a "Who Can See My Phone Number" section. You can switch to "My Contacts" if you only want to show your phone number to users who are in your contact book (and hide it from everyone else).

If you want to hide it from everyone, tap the "Nobody" option.

Switch to My Contacts or Nobody

If you choose this option, you'll see a new section called "Who Can Find Me By My Number." The default is the "My Contacts" option. In this mode, users who have your number in their contact book will only see your phone number if they are in your contacts list.

If you want anyone who has your number saved in the contact list to see it on Telegram, you can switch to the "Everybody" option.

Select My Contacts or Everybody

Now that you have hidden your phone number from your contacts, you can go one step further and stop sharing your contacts with Telegram as well. This ensures that the phone number is no longer involved in the communication between all your contacts (You can use usernames to add users.).

RELATED: How to Use Telegram Without Sharing Your Contacts

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