Telegram README

The project's README from github.com/DrKLO/Telegram. As one markdown file: README.md.

Telegram messenger for Android

Telegram is a messaging app with a focus on speed and security. It’s superfast, simple and free. This repo contains the official source code for Telegram App for Android.

Creating your Telegram Application

We welcome all developers to use our API and source code to create applications on our platform. There are several things we require from all developers for the moment.

  1. Obtain your own api_id for your application.
  2. Please do not use the name Telegram for your app — or make sure your users understand that it is unofficial.
  3. Kindly do not use our standard logo (white paper plane in a blue circle) as your app's logo.
  4. Please study our security guidelines and take good care of your users' data and privacy.
  5. Please remember to publish your code too in order to comply with the licences.

API, Protocol documentation

Telegram API manuals: https://core.telegram.org/api

MTproto protocol manuals: https://core.telegram.org/mtproto

Compilation Guide

Note: In order to support reproducible builds, this repo contains dummy release.keystore, google-services.json and filled variables inside BuildVars.java. Before publishing your own APKs please make sure to replace all these files with your own.

You will require Android Studio 2025.1.4, Android NDK 27.2.12479018 and Android SDK 36.

  1. Clone the Telegram source code with its submodules:
    git clone --recursive --shallow-submodules https://github.com/DrKLO/Telegram.git Telegram
    In case you forgot the --recursive flag, change to the Telegram directory and run:
    git submodule init && git submodule update --init --recursive --depth=1
  2. Copy your release.keystore into TMessagesProj/config
  3. Fill out RELEASE_KEY_PASSWORD, RELEASE_KEY_ALIAS, RELEASE_STORE_PASSWORD in gradle.properties to access your release.keystore
  4. Go to https://console.firebase.google.com/, create two android apps with application IDs org.telegram.messenger and org.telegram.messenger.beta, turn on firebase messaging and download google-services.json, which should be copied to the same folder as TMessagesProj.
  5. Open the project in the Studio (note that it should be opened, NOT imported).
  6. Fill out values in TMessagesProj/src/main/java/org/telegram/messenger/BuildVars.java – there’s a link for each of the variables showing where and which data to obtain.
  7. You are ready to compile Telegram.

Localization

We moved all translations to https://translations.telegram.org/en/android/. Please use it.

Telegram (DrKLO/Telegram)

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30.1K ·GitHub
Telegram
What is this?This is the official open-source Android client for Telegram, a messaging app built for speed and security.
Is this the actual Telegram app, or a toolkit for building my own messenger?It's the real source code powering the official Telegram Android app, and Telegram explicitly lets developers reuse this API and code to build their own apps on its platform.
How do I compile this into a working app?Clone the repo with its submodules, open the project in Android Studio (import will not work), drop in your own release.keystore, and fill the key/password fields plus BuildVars.java.
What tools do I need installed before building it?You need Android Studio 2025.1.4, Android NDK 27.2.12479018, and Android SDK 36, plus your own Firebase project for google-services.json.
Can I ship my build under the Telegram name and logo?No. You must get your own API ID, avoid the Telegram name unless it's clear your app is unofficial, and you can't reuse Telegram's paper-plane logo.
Does this repo include the iOS or desktop Telegram clients?No, this repository only contains the Android client. Telegram's iOS and desktop apps are maintained in their own separate repositories.
Can I actually launch my own messaging app from this code?Yes — Telegram explicitly welcomes developers to reuse its API and source for their own apps, as long as you obtain your own API ID and don't pass your app off as the official Telegram client or logo.
Where do translations for the app come from?Translations were moved out of this repository to a separate localization platform that the README links contributors to.
What are similar projects?Signal-iOS, Telegram-iOS, exteraless, chat, thunderbird-android, Signal-Android, ARouter, MVPArms
Which topics is it in?chat-application, firebase, communication, gradle, messaging, gplv2, chat, telegram, android-app, mobile-app, java, mobile
Creator
DrKLO
Size
771.5 MB
Stars
30.1K
Updated
CommitOct 13Releaserelease-11.4.2-5469Nov 20
Age
12y
Commits · 90 Days