Telegram has surged in popularity recently, especially after WhatsApp’s recent privacy missteps, so the company is taking advantage of the influx of new users by making it relatively easy to import your chats from other popular messaging apps.
Specifically, the update supports imports from WhatsApp, Line, and KakaoTalk — both for individual chats and groups. To import from WhatsApp to Telegram on Android, open the conversation in the former app, tap the menu button > More > Export Chat, and select Telegram. On iOS, the process is similar, but the export function can be found by opening the Contact Info or Group Info page.
Telegram cautions that apps will be imported into the current day, but the chats will retain their original timestamps, and they will be visible by all members of a conversation. The company also notes that messages don’t need to take up extra space on your device, as Telegram can store messages and media in the cloud rather than being forced to save them on your own storage.
One of the biggest hurdles with switching messaging services is losing all of your old conversations, so it’s nice to see Telegram appears to have largely gotten around this particular caveat.
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The update also brings a few other new features, including more control over your chat and call history in Telegram, improved audio features, and new animations. You can read about them over at the Telegram blog.
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