Telegram People Nearby Was Removed: What Replaced It

Telegram removed People Nearby in 2024, and it is not coming back in its old form. Pavel Durov said the feature had problems with bots and scammers and would be replaced with "Businesses Nearby", a section meant to show legitimate, verified businesses rather than individual people. For finding people and local communities, you now use usernames, contacts, QR codes, invite links and search.

This guide explains what People Nearby did, why it went, what replaced it, and how to do the things you used it for in ways that still work.

What People Nearby was

People Nearby was a location-based discovery screen. It lived in the Contacts area on most apps and did three things:

• Showed nearby users who had chosen to be visible. Visibility was opt-in. You had to switch on a "make myself visible" option, and only then did your profile appear to others close by.
• Listed local groups. Group owners could attach a location to a group, and it appeared to people in the area. This was how many neighbourhood, city and expat groups found members.
• Let you exchange contacts with people in the same room. Two people standing next to each other could find and add each other quickly without typing numbers.

It showed a rough distance rather than an exact address. Still, for anyone who switched visibility on, it revealed that they were somewhere near the viewer.

Why Telegram removed it

When Durov announced the removal, the reason he gave was abuse. Bots and scammers were using People Nearby to find and message people. In practice users saw:

• Spam accounts appearing near them in large numbers, often with fake profiles.
• Unwanted messages from strangers who found them through the list.
• Scam and adult-content accounts using it as a free way to reach local users.

There was also a privacy problem that people outside Telegram had written about. A list that shows approximate distance can, with enough readings from different points, narrow down where someone is. For a feature most users switched on casually, that was a poor trade.

The removal arrived in an app update in 2024. Users who updated simply found the section gone. If you still see something like it, you are probably on a very old version of the app, and updating will remove it.

What replaced it: Businesses Nearby

Telegram's stated replacement is Businesses Nearby. The idea, as Durov described it, is to show genuine, verified businesses near you rather than individual people. Reports at the time said it would build on Telegram Business features, such as business locations, opening hours and product catalogs.

Two honest caveats:

• It is not a like-for-like swap. It shows businesses, not people. If you used People Nearby to meet other users, nothing official does that any more.
• Availability can differ. Rollouts on Telegram are often gradual. Whether a nearby-businesses section appears in your app, and what it shows, depends on your version and region. Check your app's Contacts and search areas after updating.

If you run a business, the useful part is Telegram Business: you can show a location, hours and other details on your business profile. Our guide to Telegram Business features covers what is available and how to set it up.

How to do what you used People Nearby for

Most people used People Nearby for one of four things. Each has an alternative that works now.

1. Finding local groups

This was the most useful part of the old feature, and it is the one with the best replacement.

1. Search Telegram. Open the search bar and try your city or neighbourhood plus a topic, such as "Lisbon expats" or "Leeds runners". Public groups and channels with those words in their name or username appear in the results.
2. Try local spellings and languages. Many local groups use the local language name of the city. Search both versions.
3. Browse a directory. On TGDirectory, look through categories such as news, local or community topics, and read each listing's page before joining. Our guide on how to find Telegram channels has more search techniques.
4. Look for local news channels. Many cities have news channels that link to discussion groups.
5. Ask in groups you already belong to. A group for your school, club or building often knows the local ones.

Check a group before you join. Read its description and rules, look at recent messages if it has a public preview, and be wary of groups whose only content is ads or "investment" offers.

2. Adding someone you have just met

People Nearby made this quick. These methods are just as quick and safer, because each person decides what to share.

1. Share usernames. If you both have a username, type it in search and open their profile. Usernames do not reveal phone numbers. Our guide on changing your Telegram username explains how to set one.
2. Use the profile QR code. Telegram can show a QR code for your username. The other person scans it with their camera or from inside Telegram, and your profile opens. Look for the QR option on your profile or in settings; its position varies by app.
3. Share a link. A username can be shared as a t.me link in any messaging app or by text.
4. Exchange phone numbers only if you are both comfortable with it. Your privacy settings decide who can find you by number, under Privacy and Security.

3. Being found by people in your area

If you ran a community or a small business and relied on being discoverable locally:

1. Make the group or channel public with a clear username that includes your area and topic.
2. Write a description that says where you are and who the group is for, in the words people would search.
3. Put the invite link where locals already are: posters, a website, a shop counter, other social profiles, or a QR code on a flyer. Our Telegram channel QR code guide shows how.
4. List it in a directory. You can submit a channel or group to TGDirectory for free. Every submission is reviewed by a person before it appears.
5. For a business, use Telegram Business to show your location and hours on your profile.

4. Meeting new people

There is no official replacement for discovering strangers by location, and that was the point of removing it. Interest-based groups are the closest substitute: join a group for a hobby, language exchange or local event, take part, and connect with people there. It is slower, but the people you meet chose to be in that community.

What the removal means for your privacy

The removal closed one way your approximate location could be seen by strangers. A few other location-related features still exist, and each one is under your control.

• Sharing a location in a chat. You can send a fixed location, or a live location that updates for a time you choose. Only the people in that chat see it. Live location stops when the time runs out or when you stop it yourself.
• Business locations. A Telegram Business profile can show an address. That is meant for shops and offices, not for personal accounts.
• Photos and files. When you send a picture as a normal photo, Telegram compresses it, and that process strips the hidden location data cameras can record. When you send the same picture as a file, the original is sent unchanged, including any location data stored in it. If a photo was taken at home, send it as a photo, or remove location data on your phone first.
• What you write. Mentioning your street, school or workplace in a public group tells people more than any location feature ever did.

If you had visibility switched on before the removal, you do not need to do anything now. The screen that showed you to others is gone. Our privacy settings checklist is a good next step for reviewing the rest of your settings.

Do not use apps that promise to bring it back

After the removal, tools and bots appeared claiming to "restore People Nearby" or show "who is near you on Telegram". Avoid them.

• They cannot do what they claim with Telegram's official features, because the feature no longer exists.
• Many are scams. They ask you to log in with your phone number and login code, which hands over your account. Never share a login code; see why you should never share your Telegram login code.
• Locating people who have not chosen to be found is not acceptable, whatever a tool claims. If somebody wants to connect, they will share their username or contact.

Common mistakes

• Thinking it is hidden in a menu. It was removed, not moved. Searching settings for it will not find it.
• Staying on an old app version to keep it. Old versions miss security fixes. Update the app.
• Installing third-party "nearby" apps. These are a common way accounts get stolen.
• Joining the first local group you find. Scam groups often use city names. Check the description, rules and recent activity first.
• Making your phone number public to be found. A username or QR code does the same job without exposing your number.

FAQ

When was People Nearby removed?

It was removed in an app update in 2024. Users reported it disappearing after updating, around the time Durov announced the change on his channel.

Is Businesses Nearby available everywhere?

Telegram announced it as the replacement, focused on verified businesses. Features often roll out gradually, so whether you see it depends on your app version and region. Update the app and check the Contacts and search areas.

Can I still see who is near me on Telegram?

No. There is no official way to see nearby individual users any more. Treat any app or bot that claims otherwise as a likely scam.

How do I find local Telegram groups now?

Search Telegram for your city or area plus a topic, try the local spelling, browse directory categories, and ask in groups you already belong to.

Did removing People Nearby delete my contacts or groups?

No. Contacts you added and groups you joined through it stay where they are. Only the discovery screen was removed.

I ran a location-based group. What should I do?

Give it a public username that includes the area, write a clear description, share its invite link and QR code locally, and consider listing it in a directory so people searching for local groups can find it.

Summary

People Nearby is gone because it attracted bots, scammers and privacy problems. Telegram's stated replacement, Businesses Nearby, is meant to show verified businesses rather than people. For everything else, use the tools where each person chooses what to share: usernames, QR codes, invite links, search and directories. They take a little more effort, but they do not expose anyone's location, and they keep you clear of the fake "nearby" apps that steal accounts.