2026年10月4日
When you switch phones, Telegram handles login and chat history differently from many messaging apps: login is based on your phone number plus a verification code, and chats are stored in the cloud by default, but only if you had the relevant sync settings enabled on your old phone. Here is the process in the order you will actually do it.
Telegram private chats, group chats, and channel messages are stored in the cloud by default. After you switch phones and log in with the same phone number, cloud messages will sync back automatically. However, Secret Chats are end-to-end encrypted and exist only on the two devices locally. They are not uploaded to the cloud, so they cannot be recovered after switching phones, and you cannot continue an existing Secret Chat on the new phone.
Also, if you previously cleared the cache manually or deleted conversations, that content will not come back just because you switched phones. Before switching, it is a good idea to open Telegram on the old phone, go to Settings → Data and Storage → Storage Usage, and check how much space chats are taking up so you know what to expect.
If you used media files saved locally on the old phone, such as photos and videos you downloaded to your gallery, those belong to the phone gallery and need to be handled separately with the phone's built-in migration tool or cloud backup. Telegram does not sync your gallery.
Install Telegram on the new phone. Android users should search for it on Google Play, and iPhone users should install it from the App Store. If you cannot access those two stores, you can also get the official installation package from telegram.org. The installation package entry provided on this site is only for convenience of access, not an official Telegram download channel, so please verify the source yourself.
After installing, open the app and enter the phone number you originally used, making sure the country/region code is correct. Telegram will send the verification code to a device where you are already logged in, meaning Telegram on your old phone, not by SMS. If your old phone still works, simply check the code in that Telegram and enter it on the new phone.
If the old phone is no longer usable, you can wait for the SMS verification code or choose a voice call verification code. After logging in successfully, cloud chats will begin syncing automatically. The sync speed depends on how many chats you have and your network conditions, so just wait patiently.
After you log in on the new phone, the old phone will not log out automatically. If you plan to keep using the old phone, both devices can be online at the same time and messages will sync on both. If you are giving the old phone away or selling it, be sure to log out manually on the old phone: go to Settings → Privacy and Security → Devices, find the old device and choose to log out, or log out of the account before uninstalling.
You can also go to Devices on any logged-in device to see all current login sessions and log out of devices you no longer use one by one. This step prevents someone who gets the old phone from directly seeing your chats.
Note: logging out does not delete cloud chat history. It only takes that device offline. The next time you log in with the same phone number, the cloud history will still come back.
After logging in, check a few things first: whether you can send and receive messages, whether your contacts are all there, and whether your groups and channels are still present. Cloud conversations usually appear automatically. If a group does not show up, try searching for the group name in the search box.
If the new phone does not receive the verification code, first confirm the phone number was entered correctly and that the phone can receive SMS or calls, then try the voice call verification code. Some carriers may block verification code SMS messages, so you can switch networks or try again later.
If your chat history is empty after logging in, first confirm you logged in with the same phone number and check whether the network is working normally. Secret Chats not being restored is normal. Finally, a reminder: do not tell anyone your verification code. Telegram will not actively ask for your verification code. Anyone claiming to be customer service and asking for a verification code should be treated as a scam.