this post was submitted on 26 Sep 2023
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189
Telegram starts to look like a super app, echoing WeChat (techcrunch.com)
submitted 1 year ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Telegram has open source their client code. Not their server code. It's even on f Droid.

[–] [email protected] 10 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (4 children)

But it's starting to get worse. Now they won't send you an SMS code for registration unless you are using official build of the app. Even chat app under libre licence must connect with something...

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This actually is not a bad thing. If an unofficial client MITM the whole registration process, it's much harder for the true account owner to prove that he/she is the legit one.

Also, it doesn't really require a client to register; Telegram can be accessed from a browser.

[–] [email protected] 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If unofficial app can MITM registration, it can the same way MITM login later.

doesn't require a client A side note, JavaScript app in the browser is as much an app as Java/Kotlin on Android. But I know websites and web-based applications are now so mixed together it sometimes can confuse me too.

And browser version of Telegram does not allow registering new accounts also.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Compared to login, MITM on registration means the culprit knows the IP address and the time of the registration, which is usually significant on claiming the account back.

I don't have a spare number to test, but I'm pretty sure entering a phone number in the web sends a SMS code. Do you have concrete evidence that it really doesn't work?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

Unfortunetly not, I must test it also.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I might be misunderstanding you, but I believe telegram requires SMS verification for all accounts, regardless of client.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

What I mean is that they always require SMS code, but if you use app from F-Droid they won't send you this code.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

One of the most egregious thing they've done imo is this:

If their app allows its users to access content from Telegram channels, third-party developers using the Telegram API are required to support and properly display official sponsored messages in their apps by January 1, 2022

As well as not allowing registration from desktop.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 11 months ago

it costs them too much to send code as sms, also some client abuse that in some way, it also may help them to increase the download count of their official app which is not bad imo.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Thank you. Installed fork client and now that stupid story crap is gone and there's new stuff I can do to fine tune things.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago (1 children)

How do I do this?