How to Transfer Telegram Chats to a New Phone

Your New Phone Arrives: What Actually Happens to Your Telegram Chats

A new handset is on its way, or already in your hand, and the first worry is usually the same: do years of messages, group chats, channels and saved files survive the swap, or does something quietly disappear when the old phone is wiped?

With Telegram, they survive. Normal chats, groups, channels and Saved Messages live in Telegram's cloud and belong to your account, which is tied to your phone number. Sign in on the new phone with that same number, enter the login code, then your two-step verification password, and those conversations appear again on their own. Nothing is beamed from phone to phone over a cable or Bluetooth, and there is no "send my chats" button, because the copy stored on Telegram's servers is the real one.

A few things do not come across, and it helps to know them before you start:

• Secret Chats. These exist only on the two devices that created them and are never restored on a new phone.
• The local cache and downloaded media. Files you saved for offline reading are rebuilt from scratch.
• Per-device settings. Notification sounds, auto-download rules and similar preferences start again as defaults.

This guide covers Android to Android, iPhone to iPhone, and the Android to iPhone (or reverse) move, with the same safe order of steps each time: check your details, sign in, confirm your chats, then deal with the old phone before it is wiped or sold.

Two things make the whole move work: the phone number your account is registered to, and your two-step verification password. Confirm both before you touch anything else. Backup, import and troubleshooting steps come later; the next section sets out exactly what travels and what stays behind.

What Moves to the New Phone and What Does Not

Telegram is not a phone-based messenger. Your normal chats, groups, channels, Saved Messages and the messages you sent all live on Telegram's servers, linked to your account and your phone number. The handset is a window onto that account, not a storage box for it. That single fact explains why moving to a new phone involves no cable, no pairing and no "send my chats across" step.

What comes back by itself

Sign in on the new phone with the same number and your two-step verification password, and the account rebuilds around you:

• The chat list, with message history in every cloud chat, group and channel
• Saved Messages
• Folders and pinned chats
• Your profile, username and Premium status
• Settings stored on the account rather than the device

Nothing is transferred between the two phones. Both devices are simply reading the same account.

What stays behind

Some things are tied to the specific device or the specific install, and they start from zero:

Secret Chats are the important one, covered in more detail below. Downloaded files are the other: Telegram keeps media in the cloud, but the copy sitting in your old phone's storage is just a copy. On the new device, photos, videos and files are fetched again the first time you open them, so a chat can look empty or half-loaded for a moment while thumbnails and attachments arrive. That is normal, not a failed transfer.

One account, two windows

Signing in on a second device does not clone your account. It opens another session onto the same cloud chats, so a message you read on the new phone shows as read on the old one, and anything you delete disappears from both.

The reverse is also true: signing in somewhere new does not sign you out of the old phone, and does not delete anything there. The old device stays active, and can still receive your messages, until you end that session from the Devices (Active Sessions) list. Menu names and their exact placement vary slightly between Telegram apps and versions, so look for the Devices entry in Settings rather than a fixed path.

Before You Switch: Number, Two-Step Password and Active Sessions

Do this on the old phone, while it still works and is still signed in. It takes about five minutes and saves a much longer problem later.

Check 1: the number still receives codes

Your Telegram account is tied to a phone number, and signing in on a new device means receiving a login code on that number. Confirm the SIM is in the old phone, that it has signal, and that it can receive both SMS and calls. Numbers that have been recycled, ported badly or left on a dormant prepaid plan are the usual reason a switch stalls.

If the number itself needs to change, do that first, from the old phone, before you touch the new one. There is a separate walkthrough here: change your phone number without losing chats.

Check 2: the two-step verification password

If two-step verification is on, Telegram asks for that password after the login code, and a new phone counts as a new sign-in. Confirm you know it and that it is written down somewhere you can reach, not only in a note stored on the handset you are about to wipe.

Telegram may also ask for the recovery email address you set. Check that you can still open that mailbox. Resetting a forgotten password is possible, but the process can involve waiting, which is the last thing you want to discover mid-switch.

Check 3: active sessions

Open Settings, then Devices (in some versions, Privacy and Security, then Active Sessions; the wording differs between Android, iOS and desktop). You will see every device currently signed in. Note them. You now know what is on the account before you add another device, and what to end afterwards.

The code has to reach you

The login code arrives by SMS, by phone call, or as a message inside an already signed-in Telegram session. That is why keeping the old phone switched on, connected and signed in during the move is worth the effort: it can be the fastest route to the code.

Two things to save first

Copy anything important out of Secret Chats, since they stay on the devices that created them, and note any files that exist only as downloads on this handset. Also install the current Telegram version on the new phone: older builds can show different menus and settings names.

Moving to a New Android Phone, Step by Step

1. Install Telegram on the new phone

Open the Google Play Store on the new Android device, search for Telegram, and install the app published by Telegram FZ-LLC. Avoid APK files from random sites: the store version updates itself and matches the app you already know.

Open the app when it finishes installing.

2. Sign in with the same number

Enter the phone number your Telegram account uses, including the country code, and tap Next. Telegram sends a login code by SMS or through another active Telegram session if you have one. Type the code into the app.

If two-step verification is switched on, Telegram then asks for the password you set. Enter it. This is the same password you use to protect the account, not the code from the SMS.

3. Watch the chat list rebuild

After sign-in, the main screen fills in from Telegram's cloud. Your chats, groups, channels and Saved Messages appear in the order you last used them, and folders return as you set them up. Large chats open with older messages first and load more as you scroll. Media appears progressively, so a chat can look sparse for a moment while photos and videos download.

If the list looks short at first, give it a minute and pull down to refresh. Do not start reinstalling.

4. Skip Android's transfer tools for Telegram messages

Samsung Smart Switch, Google's copy-my-data flow during setup and other Android migration tools move photos, contacts, apps and some app data. They do not carry Telegram messages. Telegram messages are not kept in the app's local database in a form another install can read, so there is nothing useful for a phone-to-phone copy to grab. The app on the new phone fetches history from Telegram's servers once you sign in.

5. Leave old downloads behind

Files you saved or downloaded on the old phone live on that phone's storage. The account does not need them. Open the chat on the new phone and download the file again when you need it. Saved Messages is a good place to keep anything you want to reach quickly on any device.

6. Check before you wipe the old phone

Open a few busy chats and scroll back, then open a group and a channel you use regularly. Confirm recent messages, older history and media are all there. Check that your folders appear. Once that looks right, the new phone is ready and the old one can be handled separately.

Nothing needs to be sent, copied or scanned between the two phones for cloud chats. The account is the transfer.

Moving to a New iPhone, Step by Step

iPhone to iPhone needs no copying by hand: the account does the work. The steps below assume your number is still active and you know your two-step verification password.

Install and sign in

1. Install Telegram from the App Store.
2. Open it and enter the same phone number you use now. Telegram sends a login code by SMS or as an in-app message.
3. Type the code, then your two-step verification password when asked.

An iPhone restored from an iCloud or computer backup can bring the Telegram app across with your other apps. That restores the app, not the account inside it. You still sign in fresh on the new handset, and your cloud chats load from Telegram's servers once you do.

What comes back by itself

Your chat list, folders, pinned chats, groups, channels and Saved Messages. All of it lives in your Telegram cloud account, so signing in on any device shows the same set.

What you set up again

Per-device preferences are not part of the account. Expect to redo:

• notification sounds and vibration
• auto-download rules for photos, videos and files
• chat wallpaper choices and theme tweaks
• any privacy or data settings you had changed on the old handset

A note on iPhone backups

An iPhone backup can carry the app and its local cache to a new iPhone, but the chat history inside it is not stored in a form Telegram can restore into the app on another device. The cloud account is the source of truth, which is why the sign-in step matters more than the backup step.

Check a few chats before deciding anything is missing

Open two or three chats with plenty of media and scroll back. Photos and videos in older conversations may take a moment to download. Wait for them to arrive before concluding that history has gone.

The rule is the same as on Android: sign in on the new iPhone, confirm your chats, folders and media look right, and only then deal with the old phone.

Switching Between Android and iPhone, and the Three Move Types Compared

The platform you move to does not change the account. Telegram keeps normal chats, groups, channels and Saved Messages on its servers, so signing in with the same number and your two-step password returns the same conversations whether the new phone runs Android or iOS. What changes is the app wrapped around them.

What stays the same across platforms

Message history inside a cloud chat is identical on both phones, because both apps read the same server-side conversation. A message sent from an iPhone appears in the same place in the thread on Android, with the same replies, edits and media. Folders, pinned chats and Premium follow the account, not the handset.

What you set up again

The iOS and Android apps arrange menus differently, so a setting you knew by heart may sit under a different heading, and a few options exist on one platform but not the other. Notifications and file handling are partly controlled by the operating system, so notification sounds, auto-download rules for photos, videos and files, and storage limits are redone on the new device. Walk through Settings in the new app instead of assuming the old layout.

The three moves side by side

Secret Chats are the one item that never moves, in any of the three cases, including a like-for-like upgrade on the same platform.

After a cross-platform move

Open a few chats and let older media download as you scroll. Then end the session on the old phone under Settings, Devices (Active Sessions). Until you do, that device stays signed in and keeps receiving your messages, whichever platform it runs.

Secret Chats, Cache and Downloaded Media: The Parts That Stay Behind

Secret Chats do not travel

A Secret Chat is end-to-end encrypted and tied to the two devices that created it. Telegram does not keep it in the cloud, so it exists only on the handset that started it and the one it was started with.

The consequence is plain: a Secret Chat cannot be restored on a new phone, and no setting changes that. Sign in on a new device and the conversation simply is not there. If it holds an address, a booking reference or a photo you need, deal with it before you move.

Copy the text into Saved Messages or a normal chat, both of which live in the cloud. Secret Chats do not allow forwarding, so copying and pasting is the route. Save photos and files to the device gallery or another folder you will keep, then open them there on a different device to confirm they are readable.

The cache is a copy, not the account

Photos, videos and documents you downloaded inside chats sit in the app's storage on the old phone. They are local copies, not part of your Telegram account, and they are not rebuilt to order on the new device. Chats may look empty for a while as media downloads again over your connection.

Clearing the cache on the old phone frees space before you sell it. Cloud chats are unaffected by that.

Settings that start again from zero

Some preferences belong to the phone, not the account:

• Notification sounds and vibration patterns
• Auto-download rules for photos, videos and files
• Theme and wallpaper
• Other per-device display and storage options

Expect to set these again. Account-level things such as folders and pinned chats follow you.

Deleting the app is not deleting your history

Uninstalling Telegram from the old phone does not remove cloud history. Your messages stay in your account and return when you sign in elsewhere. Only deleting the account removes anything permanently, and that is a separate, deliberate step.

Making a Manual Backup With Telegram Desktop Export

Telegram keeps cloud chats on its servers, so a new phone pulls them back automatically after sign-in. An export serves a different purpose: a readable copy of a conversation you can keep on a computer, open later, or archive before wiping the old handset.

Where the tool lives

Install Telegram Desktop on a computer and sign in with the same number and your two-step verification password. Open Settings, then Advanced, then Export Telegram data. Labels can differ slightly between versions and operating systems, so look for the export entry inside Advanced.

You then choose what to include: chat types (private chats, groups, channels), media types (photos, videos, voice messages, files, stickers) and a maximum file size. Limiting the file size and the media types keeps the export small.

HTML or JSON

• HTML: a folder of pages you open in a browser, with photos and other media shown next to the messages they belong to. Pick this if you want to read the archive.
• JSON: structured data for machine reading, useful if you plan to process the text yourself. Media is saved as separate files alongside it.

Limits to know

The export covers cloud chats only. Secret Chats cannot be included, because they exist only on the two devices that created them and are never stored on Telegram's servers. If a Secret Chat holds something you need, copy it into Saved Messages or a normal chat first, or save the media to your computer directly.

Large accounts produce large exports. Selecting a few important chats instead of everything keeps the result manageable and quick to move.

Save the export to a computer or external drive, not to the phone you are retiring. Treat it as a personal archive: Telegram does not import an export back into the app. Cloud chats remain the live copy, and the new phone fetches them after sign-in.

Importing Chats From WhatsApp and Other Messengers

Telegram has an import option inside the app that copies chat history across from other messengers. WhatsApp is the one most people reach for. The import runs on the phone itself, so it has to happen on the device where you want the history to end up. Running it on the old handset will not push anything to the new one.

What the import brings over

Imported messages arrive in a separate chat, marked to show they came from another app, so they never mix into a normal conversation. Original timestamps are kept, which means an old thread still reads in the order it happened. What you get is a searchable archive sitting alongside your regular Telegram chats.

What it does not bring over

• It is a one-way copy of message history. Nothing syncs afterwards, and new messages in the other app do not appear in Telegram.
• The other app keeps working exactly as before. Nothing is deleted, moved or changed there.
• Which media comes across depends on the source app and the version you are running.

Doing it in the right order

Sign in on the new phone first and confirm your cloud chats, folders and groups have arrived. Then open the import option and follow the screens the app puts in front of you. You will find it in the app's settings area rather than in the sign-in flow. Availability and the exact wording of those screens differ between Android and iPhone and between app versions, so read them as they appear instead of looking for a fixed path. If no import option is shown, your platform or version may not offer it yet.

For a broader walkthrough of the app's screens, see Telegram for Beginners: The Complete Guide.

Signing Out of the Old Phone and Fixing Missing Chats

The order that avoids trouble

Do the steps in this sequence:

1. Sign in on the new phone with your number and your two-step verification password.
2. Open a few chats, your folders and Saved Messages, and confirm recent messages are there.
3. Only then pick up the old phone and end its session: open Settings, go to Devices (Active Sessions), and terminate the session for that handset. Menu names differ slightly between Android, iOS and desktop, so look for the Devices or Active Sessions entry under Settings or under Privacy and Security.

Once the old session is ended, that handset stops receiving your messages. Using Telegram on it again needs a fresh login code, the same as any other new device.

When something looks wrong

Chats look empty. Media is still downloading. Wait a little, or leave the chat and open it again. Text stored in the cloud is already there; photos, videos and files appear as they arrive.

Folders are missing. The app is still syncing, or an older version is installed. Update Telegram, close it, and reopen it. Folders tied to your account come back once sync finishes.

The two-step password is forgotten. At sign-in, Telegram offers recovery options, which can include a code sent to the recovery email you set, or a waiting period before you can try again.

The old phone is already wiped. Cloud chats are unaffected. Secret Chats and any downloads you did not save elsewhere are gone, because they existed only on that device.

Skip the "transfer" apps

You do not need a third-party app to move your chats. The account returns from the cloud on its own, while those apps ask for access to your messages that they have no reason to hold. The only thing that should move between the two phones is your login code, and only to you.

The account holds the history, not the handset. Change phones as often as you like.

After the Move: Rebuilding Channels, Groups and Discovery

A fresh install often looks emptier than expected. Your chats come back, but the channels and groups you collected over the years rarely match what you remember, and some were quietly left behind or simply forgotten. The new phone is a reasonable moment to rebuild that list on purpose rather than scroll past the same dead channels for months.

Browse by category and language

Telegram Channels is a public directory of Telegram channels, groups and bots. Open the directory and browse by category or by language, so what you find matches what you actually read.

How listings get there

Every listing is reviewed by a person before it goes live. Anyone can submit a channel for free, with or without an account.

Member counts, post views and last-post dates are read from Telegram's own public pages and shown with what they are. A number that cannot be read is left out.

Rankings and paid placements

• Best Telegram channels is ordered by real subscriber count.
• Top rated is ordered by verified ratings.
• Featured placements are paid and labelled as such.

If you run a channel

Claim your listing by adding the site's bot as an admin of the channel. The verified badge means only that the owner proved they run it. It says nothing about the content or its quality.

A shortlist of ten or fifteen channels you will genuinely read beats a list of a hundred you scroll past. Rebuilding one category at a time is the simplest way to settle into the new phone.

Frequently asked questions

Do I lose my Telegram chats if I get a new phone?

No, your ordinary Telegram chats are not tied to the handset. Telegram keeps cloud chats, including messages, photos and files, in your account. When you install Telegram on the new phone and sign in with the same phone number, those chats appear again. You will need the login code and your two-step verification password if you set one. Media may download again when you open a chat, so the new phone can feel empty at first. Secret Chats are the exception: they stay on the device where they were created. If you sign in with a different phone number, you access a different account, so the old account's chats will not appear.

Can I transfer Secret Chats to a new phone?

No. Secret Chats cannot be transferred to a new phone. They are end-to-end encrypted and tied to the device where the chat was started, so Telegram has no cloud copy to restore. The new phone will not show them after you sign in, even with the same account. The old phone keeps them until you log out, delete the app or remove the chat. Once that local copy is gone, the conversation cannot be recovered from Telegram's servers. If you need an encrypted chat on the new phone, start a new Secret Chat with the same contact from that device. The exact menu labels can differ between Telegram apps and versions.

Do I need the old phone to sign in on the new one?

Not strictly, but you need access to the phone number on the account. Signing in on a new phone requires a login code, sent through Telegram if you still have an active session, or by SMS if Telegram offers that route. You also need your two-step verification password if you enabled one. If the old phone is nearby and signed in, the code may arrive there, which is convenient. If it is lost or broken, you can still sign in when you can receive the code another way. Without access to the number, you cannot sign in to that account. Menu wording for code delivery can vary by app and version.

Will my Telegram Premium and folders carry over?

Premium follows your Telegram account, not the handset. If you sign in with the same phone number, your subscription status and Premium features are available on the new phone without buying again. Chat folders are also account-level and sync across devices signed in to the same account, so your folder layout appears. Some local preferences are not part of that sync: theme, notification sounds, cache size and download settings may need to be set again. The exact location of folder and Premium settings can differ between Telegram apps and versions. If Premium does not appear, check that you signed in to the correct account.

What happens to the old phone after I sign in elsewhere?

By default, the old phone stays signed in. Signing in on a new phone does not automatically end the old session, so the old handset can still receive cloud messages and notifications while it has a connection. To stop that, use the new phone to open Telegram's settings and find Devices or Active Sessions, then terminate the old phone's session. The exact menu name and location can differ between apps and versions. After you end the session, the old phone cannot access the account; it will be logged out when it next connects. Secret Chats on the old phone are separate from cloud chats and do not move to the new phone.

Do I need a third-party app to move my Telegram messages?

No. You do not need a third-party app to move ordinary Telegram chats. Install the official Telegram app on the new phone, sign in with your phone number, enter the login code and your two-step verification password if you use one. Cloud chats then load from your account. Avoid apps that ask for your Telegram login code or promise to copy Secret Chats. A login code gives access to your account, and Secret Chats cannot be moved because they are tied to the original device. Moving between Android and iPhone still works for cloud chats, though local caches and Secret Chats do not transfer. Menu wording can vary between apps.