Key Distinctions in Data Handling Between Telegram X and the Main Telegram App

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Telegram X and the main Telegram app are two versions of the popular messaging platform developed by Telegram Messenger LLP. While both apps offer similar core functionalities—such as messaging, file sharing, and voice calls—they differ in certain design philosophies, performance optimizations, and importantly, aspects of data handling. Understanding these distinctions can help users choose the version that best fits their privacy and usability preferences.

What Is Telegram X?
Telegram X was initially developed as an experimental telegram data client to test new features and performance improvements using a different underlying framework. It was designed to be faster, smoother, and more battery-efficient compared to the main Telegram app. Telegram X often introduced new UI elements, animations, and usability enhancements before some of these features made their way to the official app.

Data Handling in Telegram X vs. Main Telegram App
Despite sharing the same backend infrastructure, Telegram X and the main Telegram app have some key differences in how they handle user data, which are mostly influenced by their different codebases and optimization goals.

1. App Architecture and Data Storage
Telegram X: Built with a more modern and efficient codebase (originally in Swift for iOS and Kotlin for Android), Telegram X aimed to reduce memory usage and speed up data processing. This means Telegram X may handle data caching and temporary storage more efficiently, leading to faster access and less strain on device resources.

Main Telegram App: Developed using a more traditional framework, it may store and process data differently, often requiring more storage space on devices. The main app sometimes retains more cached data, which can affect the user experience, especially on older or less powerful devices.

2. Message and Media Storage
Both apps use Telegram’s cloud infrastructure to store messages and media files, meaning your chats and files are synced across devices. However:

Telegram X often handles media preloading and caching more aggressively, leading to quicker media access but potentially higher temporary storage usage on your device.

The main Telegram app may manage this caching less aggressively but provides a more consistent experience aligned with the overall Telegram ecosystem.

3. Privacy and Metadata Collection
From a privacy standpoint, both Telegram X and the main app collect similar types of metadata, including phone numbers, IP addresses, device information, and message metadata (timestamps, sender/receiver IDs). Telegram X does not have a separate privacy policy and falls under Telegram’s general privacy guidelines.

The key point is that there is no difference in Telegram’s backend data retention policies between the two apps. Both apps store metadata such as IP addresses for up to 12 months and respond similarly to legal requests.

4. Feature Availability Affecting Data Handling
Telegram X often introduced experimental features that could affect data handling, such as new chat management tools, interface tweaks, or notification systems. While these features sometimes altered how data is cached or synced temporarily, they did not fundamentally change the types of data collected or stored by Telegram’s servers.

Why Telegram X Was Discontinued
In mid-2022, Telegram officially discontinued Telegram X and integrated many of its features and improvements into the main Telegram app. This consolidation means new users only need the official app, and Telegram’s data handling practices have become unified across platforms.

Conclusion
The key distinctions between Telegram X and the main Telegram app in data handling mostly revolve around client-side optimizations in caching, media storage, and app performance. Both apps share the same backend infrastructure and privacy policies, collecting and storing user metadata similarly. With the discontinuation of Telegram X, the main Telegram app now incorporates many of its enhancements while maintaining consistent data handling practices. Users concerned with privacy should focus on Telegram’s overall policies and use privacy features like secret chats, regardless of the app version they choose.