Even in the digitized world, people crave communication. That’s why Telegram became so popular, as it’s secure, allows you to both keep in touch with friends and stay up-to-date with the world’s latest news and is free to use. However, there are still some pitfalls. For example, Telegram is unavailable in some locations, and data leaks are possible. Proxies are a tool that helps you fix those problems, and Telegram supports them. Continue to read—in this article, we explore three ways proxies can improve your Telegram experience.

How do proxies work?

Proxies are software or hardware that sits between your browser and the target server. The target server is a server that hosts a website you try to connect to. When you use proxies, you don’t communicate with websites directly; instead, a proxy server receives your requests and forwards them to the target server. Then, a proxy server fetches responses and sends them to you. A proxy server hides your real IP behind its address, making it hard to trace traffic back to you, find out your precise location, or penetrate your gadget or internal network. Besides that, depending on the type of protocol a proxy works on and other settings, such as a rotating interval, proxies can fulfill various functions, like speeding up your network connection.

Even if it seems pointless to use proxies with Telegram, as this messenger is considered one of the safest options, some security-related worries are still present. Moreover, there are some good reasons to use proxies with Telegram besides safety.

Proxies to enhance privacy and anonymity

Telegram is well-known for its official policy that prioritizes freedom of speech and users’ data protection, especially from governments. However, several facts make you question if those statements are factual. For example, Telegram, unlike Signal or other apps, doesn’t automatically encrypt your data. The encryption option is limited to Secret chats, which aren’t available for all clients. Desktop clients, excluding the MacOS client, don’t support end-to-end encryption. Even messages in secret chats Telegram encrypts using a custom-built encryption protocol called MTProto. Telegram itself claims it’s safe; cryptographic experts oppose it. In 2020, a team from the University of Udine, Italy, stated MTProto 2.0, a version currently in use, is formally correct; yet specialists also warned that all messages pass through Telegram servers and, due to servers being responsible for choosing Diffie-Hellman parameters, they shouldn’t be trusted. Also, suppose users fail to check the fingerprints of shared keys. In that case, a man-in-the-middle attack is possible. The team also stated that it’s necessary to prove MTProto is secure using more complex tools. 

Later, in 2024, experts exposed one more vulnerability. It allowed con artists to send malicious flies masked as multimedia files. 

There is also a history of message leaks. For example, in 2019, The Intercept released leaked communication between Brazilian officials. Cases of account takeovers, users’ phone numbers and ID exposition, and login SMS message interception are also in place. 

One more detail to keep in mind is that Telegram doesn’t verify accounts. Also, you can sign in using an anonymous number that you can buy at Fragment, a blockchain platform developed by the Telegram team. On top of that, Telegram puts minimal restrictions on content and doesn’t use sorting algorithms in its search function. All of those factors allow criminals to stay under the radar and continue their wrongdoings. Telegram was criticized for being a platform for spreading extremist content, illegal pornography, fraudulent job offers, drug trade, and copyright infringement. The huge amount of active users makes Telegram even more appealing to fraudsters. 

With all of that, it’s only natural to wish for additional protection while using the app. Even if you protect your chats with end-to-end encryption, your IP is still visible. It can give away pretty much info about you, including your network type, address, and internet registry information, not to mention the fact that it’s possible to examine your IP with white-hacking apps. QA engineers normally use such apps to find and fix potential vulnerabilities beforehand. However, some apps, like Angry IP Scanner, are entirely free to use, so anyone with no good intentions may do it and find a way to use your device. That’s why it’s never too much to use additional tools like proxies that will remove all the loopholes that may lead to you.

When you add proxies, you don’t deal with Telegram directly; a proxy server does it. Telegram sees only the proxy’s IP and knows much less about you. This can significantly enhance your privacy and anonymity.

Proxies to optimize the network

People usually use Telegram to communicate and to know the latest news. In both cases, it’s essential that the app “flies.” That’s twice as important when you have video calls or have to answer as fast as possible in a critical chat. For that, you need optimized network performance. Network performance relies significantly on a lot of external factors out of your control, such as your internet service provider’s hardware. Nevertheless, there is still something you can do – implement proxies to shape and compress traffic, thus improving network performance and quality.

Traffic shaping is a practice of implementing policies and rules to prioritize traffic from chosen apps. When configuring a proxy server, you can prioritize Telegram, which helps minimize potential latency. By doing this, Telegram will always utilize the bandwidth it requires, ensuring you have a fast and stable connection. 

However, keep in mind that it may negatively affect other apps’ performance.

Traffic compression reduces the amount of data before transmission so that you consume less bandwidth. This approach is particularly relevant for text-based data, such as messages and articles. Since text content is Telegram’s number one content type, implementing traffic compression is undoubtedly beneficial.

Proxies to access location-specific content

Numerous channels on Telegram have particular geo-targeting. In other words, there is a lot of interesting content, but you never get to see it. In such a situation, you can apply proxies and connect to the app as if from somewhere else. It will provide you with access to a lot of information. With DataImpulse, you can have IPs from 194 countries. We also provide you with a function for the country and extra targeting, so you can opt to use the IPs of a particular country (or even cities or ZIP codes) if there is a need.

Proxies are also popular to get over geo-based restrictions. For example, governments in several countries, including China, Hong Kong, and Thailand, have banned Telegram. In those countries, there is a national-level restriction on using Telegram, meaning that not a single internet service provider is allowed to let its users access the messenger. People bypass that restriction by implementing proxies. First, they connect to a proxy server within a whitelisted location. Next, a server connects to Telegram and communicates with the messenger on a user’s behalf. This way, a user technically has nothing to do with Telegram, yet they can use the app. In some countries, for example, in China, you must connect to a VPN before proceeding with proxies. Here is a detailed guide on doing so. However, we at DataImpulse don’t take responsibility for such actions. That information is provided for educational purposes only.

How to choose proxies for Telegram

What type of proxies to use with Telegram?

As of now, Telegram supports two types of proxies: MTProto proxies, designed for Telegram exclusively, and SOCKS5 proxies. MTProto Proxy, or MTProxy, uses the same protocol as the basis. However, you already know about its security disadvantages. Moreover, third parties whom you don’t know about and cannot choose, manage those proxies. The security and performance of MTProto proxies may vary. Also, there are notices from those who used them that you have to “pay” for proxy usage with a subscription to some channel. The app automatically subscribes you to this channel and pines it. You cannot unpin it or leave it. Such a channel disappears only when you stop using MTProto proxies. 

That’s why SOCKS5 proxies are the choice. That type of proxy relies on the popular SOCKS5 protocol, which offers you authentication, thereby additionally benefiting your security. If you opt for SOCKS5 proxies, you can decide what provider to choose and trust your data. On top of that, SOCKS5 proxies are considered fast proxies that are good for tasks that require a high-speed connection, such as video calls.

What proxies to use to stay safe on Telegram?

For security purposes, you have to choose a reliable proxy provider; otherwise, it’s senseless to use proxies. Free proxy servers may seem like a good alternative. Still, malicious actors often manage them and steal your data. In this article, you’ll find details about all the downsides of using free proxies. 

Trustworthy proxies aren’t necessarily pricey. At DataImpulse, you can get proxies for $1 per 1 GB. As we operate on a pay-as-you-go model, there is no expiration date. At the same time, you get legally obtained proxies that aren’t associated with illegal activities like spreading malware. 

How to speed up Telegram with proxies?

For a proxy server to benefit network performance and speed, you have to choose fast proxies. As already said, SOCKS5 are fast proxies; still, keep in mind that a proxy server is an additional server in the way of your data. If it works smoothly, you won’t experience any delays. However, if proxies are slow, they may even make the situation worse. So, pay attention to the response time of a proxy server. At DataImpulse, you can have 1-second response-time proxies. That’s fast enough to complete your tasks without slowing down.

One more important thing to remember is whether a provider sells IPs that it obtained on its own or resells addresses from other providers. In the case of reselling, a provider can offer you a lot of IPs, usually tens of millions. Still, it’s harder to control and balance the load. It may result in high latency. When a provider sells only IPs obtained on its own, it can distribute traffic and prevent the overloading of servers. For you, it means a stable, high-speed connection. Even if the overall number of IPs is smaller, they are effective to use.

DataImpulse doesn’t resell the proxies of other providers. As a result, you have a fast connection and can rest assured that you won’t miss anything important due to drops in speed. You can choose from a vast pool of 10 million authentic proxies. You can also exclude particular autonomous systems if there are any known issues regarding the speed or performance of those networks.

Sticky or rotating proxies?

One more important choice is a choice between rotating and sticky proxies. There is only one distinction: a rotating proxy assigns you a new address per request. At the same time, a sticky server holds to the same IP for a fixed period. For Telegram, it’s better to opt for sticky proxies, and there is solid reasoning behind it.

When you log in to your account and send and receive messages, thousands of people do the same at the same time as you. For Telegram to understand what text to send to whom and not confuse something, a session exists. A session is your visit to Telegram. You have to hold the same IP to have a stable connection throughout the session. If you choose rotating proxies, you will use a new IP with every request, and re-connecting and re-login issues may appear. That’s why sticky proxies are the choice. At Dataimpulse, you can switch to sticky proxies with one click via our intuitive dashboard. You can also set any rotation interval from 1 to 120 minutes.

Note that at DataImpulse, you have residential proxies. These are the IP addresses of households’ devices assigned by internet service providers. You can use a given IP only as long as that associated device is online. That’s why we don’t recommend extending the 30-minute interval.

How to use proxies with Telegram?

Telegram supports the use of a proxy server, so it’s easy to start using one. You don’t need any additional apps. Follow that link to find a step-by-step guide about proxy integration with Telegram.

To wrap up

Despite its pros, Telegram still has some blind spots, especially regarding security and anonymity. Moreover, it’s always good to improve your network performance to have a better experience and access more content. Proxies can help you feed two (actually even three) birds with one scone. Adding proxies reduces the risk of being traced, bids farewell to high latency, and reaches geo-specific content. DataImpulse is ready to assist you in providing effective and reliable proxies. With us, you can unlock access to 10 million IPs from 194 countries at a reasonable price of only $1 per 1 GB. You can chat comfortably without hurrying to use traffic as we operate on a pay-as-you-go pricing model. We ethically obtain IPs, so you get effective proxies that aren’t associated with illegal activities like participating in attacks. Click on the “Try now” button or write to us at [email protected] to start.