How to Know if Someone Blocked You on Telegram

How to Know if Someone Blocked You on Telegram

Instant messaging has become second nature to us all. Everyone uses instant message apps to communicate. Telegram is one of these popular apps that allow us to communicate with friends and family in a very easy way. However, sometimes you might find people you don't want to talk to and you choose to block them. But you can also find yourself in the opposite situation.

There might be someone that has blocked you for some reason and you might not know. If you suspect someone has blocked you on Telegram don't miss out this oneHOWTO article and find out how to know if someone blocked you on Telegram.

Telegram

Before knowing about the block option in Telegram let’s have a look at some of the features in this app which makes it unique from other messaging apps:

  • Telegram is open source and totally ad free.
  • It is cloud based and it has automatic syncing which means you can manage it even from your desktop browser.
  • Its messages are heavily encrypted, which makes it very safe. The creators of the app have even offered a reward of $200,000 to the person who can crack their encryption[1].
  • Telegram offers the option of creating a group with up to 200 contacts.
  • It provides the option of blocking message forwarding i.e. you can block someone from forwarding your messages
  • Telegram’s secret chat uses end-to-end encryption and it doesn’t leave any trace on the servers. That means once you delete the secret chats you can never retrieve them. It even notifies if someone takes a screenshot and gives you the option to set any secret chat to self-destruct.

The use of end to end encryption makes it similar to WhatsApp, but their reputation is slightly different. Telegram is registered in London, but was created by Russian developers. WhatsApp has been bought over by Mark Zuckerberg and Facebook, meaning it is more integrated with its other platforms. You can share contacts and have other cross platform options.

Facebook's involvement has caused some concern over data usage. Companies pay Facebook to use user's data information, something which has a dark side when we see events like the Cambridge Analytica scandal[2]. However, there are also concerns over Telegram's safety as they do not offer end-to-end encryption by default and they store user's data on servers which some fear make them vulnerable to cyber attack.

Telegram vs Whatsapp

Whatsapp is undoubtedly the giant in instant messaging. However, Telegram is believed by may to be the ultimate Whatsapp alternative. With this said, Whatsapp has 1 billion active monthly users while Telegram has just 100 million. 350,000 new users sign up to telegram each day and recent reports have suggested up to 50% growth year on year. While WhatsApp may be leading the field, Telegram is nipping at its heels.

Let's compare the different advantages of Telegram and Whatsapp.

Advantages of Telegram:

  • Telegram offers an invite to group chat feature, while Whatsapp automatically adds you to a group.
  • Its secret chat feature lets you have a conversation with end-to-end encryption.
  • Its username feature allows you to talk to several people, without giving your phone number away.
  • Multi-device access.
  • Telegram has a channel service where users can subscribe to a channel and see all the posts within.
  • You can have conversations with up to 5000 people on chats and an unlimited number of people on Telegram channels.
  • Stickers!
  • Lock chats and ability to hide last seen for particular contact

Advantages of Whatsapp:

  • You can call your contacts via your mobile data or wifi connection.
  • You can edit your status. This comes in handy if you want to tell a group of people something.
  • The ability to format texts. A lot of people don't know about this. You can now format texts in Bold (*text*), Italics (_text_), Bold & Italic (*_text_*) and strike through (~text~).
  • Backup your chats. Whatsapp has always provided this but now you can backup chats to your Google Drive.

We at oneHOWTO are big fans of both apps. However, they have different options which affect the different ways people can get blocked on Telegram. For Telegram users, lets finally get onto discovering how to know if someone has blocked you.

How to know if someone blocked you on Telegram

In every messenger app people are at the risk of being abused by someone or someone who you don’t like may contact you. Due to this, Telegram has presented a block option. But as well as you blocking others, someone may block you and then how will you know that you are blocked?

How to know if someone blocked you on Telegram:

  • There is no “last seen” or “online” status.
  • They no longer have a profile photo.
  • They no longer receive your messages if you send something.
  • If you try to call or video call them, it never completes the call.
  • There is no “account deleted” message from the Telegram team.

All these conditions are met when you are blocked. If the person doesn't answer you but you can still see that person's profile picture, they have not blocked you. They may be busy or may not be answering at the moment.

If you feel that you are still not sure that the person had blocked you or not then simply give that number to someone else. Then ask that person whether he/she can see the profile picture, last connection or can send them a message. If so, you can confirm that you have been blocked.

You can also watch this video to know if you have been blocked on Telegram.

Are you blocked from a Telegram channel?

While Telegram works as an instant messenger app, there are aspects of social media networks which are not common to all similar applications. They also offer something called Telegram channels. These are something like a cross between a group chat and a Reddit channel or forum. In these channels you can see what the administrators are saying from the beginning of the channel onwards.

Anyone can create a Telegram channel and they will be the default administrator. You can then appoint other administrators who will be able to post content. They will also be able to block members. Members will be blocked for a variety of reasons. Some of the controversy with Telegram is that it has been used by terrorist organizations. Some channels have been blocked by Telegram themselves for this reason.

Channels can be both public and private. Private Telegram channels require you to be invited by an administrator before you can join them. These administrators can then block you for whatever reason. If you want to know if you have been blocked by a Telegram channel, you can do so by:

  • Ask a friend who also has Telegram to use their account.
  • Search the channel you think you may be blocked from. If it doesn't appear then the channel has either been deleted or it is private.
  • If the channel does appear on your friend's app, but not yours, it means you have been blocked from this channel.

If the channel is private then you cannot rejoin without an administrator inviting you. Since you can't post on someone else's channel unless you are an administrator, there should be little reason to get blocked, but it does happen.

Is Telegram blocked in your country?

Another worry some people have with Telegram is that some countries do not like its use. These countries tend to be ones which don't always have the highest human rights records, but the general concern is that it is being used for nefarious reasons. This means your problem may not be that you are blocked by another user on Telegram, but that the entire Telegram app is blocked.

In Russia, in China and in other countries, there have been total and temporary bans of many website and platforms. Telegram is one which is often under the firing line, so be careful the whole app is not blocked. Some businesses and places may not want Telegram to be used. This is why you may find Telegram blocked on hotel Wi-Fi connections, depending on the conditions of the individual business.

If you want to read similar articles to How to Know if Someone Blocked You on Telegram, we recommend you visit our Internet category.

References

1 https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-25444035

2 https://www.theguardian.com/news/series/cambridge-analytica-files