Moving Telegram to a new phone: what comes with you, and what doesn't

What comes with you, and what doesn't

This is the whole reason Telegram has no backup step. Its FAQ describes ordinary chats as cloud chats that you can open from as many devices as you like at once. Moving to a new phone is the same operation as adding a device, then removing the old one.

Before you switch: three checks

1. Know your two-step verification password. If it's on, the new phone will ask for it after the code. Check you remember it under Settings → Privacy and Security → Two-Step Verification, and add a recovery email there if you haven't.
2. Save anything in Secret Chats you need. Secret Chats can't be forwarded, and they won't appear on the new phone. Note down or re-send anything important while the old phone still works.
3. Move your saved photos separately. Anything Telegram saved to your gallery is an ordinary photo on your phone. Bring it across the way you move the rest of your photos: Google Photos, iCloud Photos, or your phone maker's transfer tool.

Transfer Telegram to new phone, step by step

1. Install Telegram on the new phone from the App Store or Google Play.
2. Enter the same phone number.
3. Enter the login code. Look for it first on the old phone, in a chat from Telegram with a blue tick, not in your SMS.
4. Enter your two-step verification password, if you set one.
5. Wait a minute for your chat list to load. Media downloads as you open each chat.
6. Once everything is there, log out on the old phone, or end its session from the new one (see below).

Switching between iPhone and Android works exactly the same way. Nothing in your account is tied to the operating system.

Where the login code goes

This is where most moves get stuck. If you're signed in on any other device, Telegram usually sends the code there as a message rather than by SMS. That's expected, not a fault: it's why you should keep the old phone, or Telegram Desktop or Web, signed in until the new phone works.

SMS isn't always offered. Telegram may ask some accounts to set a login email and send codes there instead, and in a few countries where SMS is expensive an SMS code can require Telegram Premium. Requesting codes again and again can also lock the number out of new attempts for a while, so wait before retrying.

If the old phone is lost and you're not signed in anywhere else, you need the number itself. Get a replacement SIM with the same number from your carrier, then sign in. Telegram's FAQ is plain that it can't help without either the number or a device where you're still logged in.

If you've forgotten your two-step password

There are three ways out, and only the last one loses anything.

1. Recovery email. Tap Forgot password? and Telegram sends a code to the recovery email you set.
2. Wait-period reset from a device that's still logged in. On the old phone or a computer where Telegram is still open, you can ask to reset the password. It takes 7 days, and your account and chats are kept. Telegram notifies you during that time, so you can cancel it if someone else started it.
3. Reset the account. If you have no recovery email and aren't logged in anywhere, the only option is to reset the account, which deletes it and everything in its cloud. You keep the number, but you start with an empty account.

That's the strongest argument for not wiping the old phone first: while it's still signed in, a forgotten password costs you a week, not your account.

Ending the old phone's session

Your old phone stays signed in until you sign it out. On the new phone, open Settings → Devices to see every device on the account and end the old one.

One trap: Telegram won't let a brand-new session end other sessions for about 24 hours after it signs in. This stops a thief who has just got into your account from kicking you out. If the button doesn't work on day one, log out on the old phone itself instead, or wait a day.

Also on the old phone, Telegram may ask whether a new login was you. Tap the option that confirms it, not the one that rejects it, or you'll sign the new phone straight back out.

Logging out of the old phone deletes its Secret Chats on that phone. Do it only once you've saved what you need from them.

Changing your number is a different job

A new phone with the same number needs nothing beyond signing in. A new number is different. Use Change Number (Settings → tap your phone number → Change Number) while you can still use the old account. It moves your account, contacts, chats, media and even Secret Chats to the new number, and the confirmation code goes to the new number.

Signing up with the new number instead creates a separate, empty account. If the new number already has a Telegram account, that one has to be deleted before Change Number will accept it.

Don't let an old number lapse while it's still your account's number. Carriers recycle numbers, and whoever ends up with it can request your login codes. Separately, Telegram deletes accounts that don't come online for a set period, 18 months by default. You can change that under Settings → Privacy and Security.

Keeping your own copy

None of this needs a backup, but moving phones is a good moment to make one of anything you'd hate to lose. Content can still disappear from the cloud if a sender deletes it or a channel is removed. Our article on what a Telegram backup contains covers the full export from Telegram Desktop.

For specific videos and photos rather than everything, saving them to your computer is quicker. You can do it from Telegram Web; our free extension adds a save button there for chats you can already open. It doesn't touch Secret Chats or your phone's gallery. See how to download Telegram videos.

How do I transfer Telegram to new phone without losing chats?

Install Telegram on the new phone and sign in with the same number. Your cloud chats, groups, channels, Saved Messages and media load from Telegram's servers; no backup is needed. Before you switch, save anything from Secret Chats and check you know your two-step verification password.

Why is my Telegram login code going to my old phone?

If you're signed in on another device, Telegram sends the code there as a message from "Telegram" instead of by SMS. Open the chat on the old phone or computer. If you can't, tap "Didn't get the code?" to ask for an SMS.

Will my Secret Chats move to the new phone?

No. Secret Chats exist only on the device that started them, can't be forwarded, and are deleted from that device when it logs out. Save anything important from them before you switch.

I forgot my two-step verification password. Will I lose my chats?

Not if you have a recovery email, or a device that's still logged in. From a logged-in device you can reset the password after 7 days and keep everything. Only resetting the account, the last resort, deletes your data.

Why can't I log out my old phone from the new one?

Telegram blocks a new session from ending other sessions for about 24 hours after it signs in, as protection against account theft. Log out on the old phone itself, or try again the next day.

Can I move Telegram from iPhone to Android?

Yes, the same way: install Telegram on the Android phone and sign in with the same number. Your cloud chats come across. Secret Chats and photos saved to the iPhone's camera roll don't.