Download APK Telegram X Latest Features, User Feedback & Review

I came to Telegram X with simple hopes and a wish for a messaging tool that would fit into my day without demanding constant attention. I already used Telegram for group chats and channels, and I had heard that Telegram X was the faster, more experimental sibling of the main app. The first impression was calm and clear, and the home screen gave me a good sense of where to begin. After a few days of light use I could already tell which parts of Telegram X I would return to most often, and which parts were simply nice to have.

Over the next month I ran Telegram X alongside the main Telegram app on the same phone, with the same account, so I could compare them side by side in real life rather than from a feature list. That side-by-side test is the backbone of this review. I sent messages, joined groups, watched videos in chats, switched between accounts, tried the night mode at midnight, and asked friends what they thought when they saw the different layout on my screen.

This review covers what Telegram X actually is, its latest features including bubble mode and swipe gestures, how fast it feels on an ordinary Android phone, the privacy settings worth checking first, a head-to-head comparison with Telegram and WhatsApp, what real users praise and complain about, and an honest list of pros and cons. If you are wondering whether Telegram X is worth installing in 2026, or whether you should stick with the main Telegram app, the detail below should settle it.

What Telegram X Is and How It Differs From the Main Telegram App

Telegram X is an alternative Telegram client built by the Telegram team on top of TDLib, the Telegram Database Library. It is not a third-party clone and it is not a modified copy of Telegram made by strangers. It is an official experiment: a second app that connects to the same Telegram account, the same chats, the same contacts and the same cloud, but with a different interface and a different feel. Your messages live in Telegram’s cloud either way, so switching between Telegram and Telegram X is a matter of opening a different app, not moving to a different service.

The difference is in the experience. Telegram X was built to test ideas that the main app had not adopted yet: smoother animations, a redesigned chat view, new gestures, and a settings layout that puts the options people actually change within easy reach. In practice, that means Telegram X feels a little lighter and a little quicker on the same phone, with transitions that glide instead of jump. The trade-off is that Telegram X has historically received new Telegram features later than the main app, and in recent years its updates have slowed down as the Telegram team focused its energy on the main client. That history matters, and I will come back to it in the verdict, because it decides who should install Telegram X today.

Do Telegram and Telegram X Share the Same Account?

Yes, and this is the fact that surprises most new users. You sign in to Telegram X with the same phone number you use for Telegram, and the same chats, groups, channels, saved messages and contacts appear. A message you send from Telegram X shows up in Telegram, and a message you read in Telegram X is marked as read in Telegram too. There is no separate account to manage and no contacts list to rebuild. I signed in once, waited a few seconds for the chats to load, and everything I expected was already there.

That shared account also means you can run both apps at once and use whichever one suits the moment. I kept Telegram X on my home screen for daily chatting because I liked its layout, and I kept Telegram on the phone for the occasional feature that had not reached Telegram X yet. Running both costs almost nothing in storage or battery on a modern phone, and it removes the pressure of choosing one app forever. Try Telegram X for a week while Telegram stays installed, and let your own habits make the decision.

Who Built Telegram X and Why It Exists

Telegram X grew out of an earlier project called Challegram, an independent Telegram client that the Telegram team acquired and rebuilt as an official alternative. The idea was to have a second app where new interface ideas could be tested on real users without disturbing the tens of millions of people who rely on the main app every day. Bubble mode, the redesigned chat view and several gesture ideas all appeared in Telegram X first, and the best of them later found their way into the main Telegram app. That is why long-time Telegram users sometimes feel a sense of déjà vu when they open Telegram X: some of its ideas have already become normal in Telegram itself.

Telegram X Latest Features: Bubble Mode, Gestures and Night Mode

The features that define Telegram X are the ones you can see and feel within the first minute: the way chats look, the way you move between them, and the way the app behaves in the dark. These are not hidden settings buried five menus deep. They are the surface of the app, and they change how messaging feels every time you open it. Below are the features that matter most, with honest notes on which ones still feel fresh and which ones the main app has since caught up with.

Bubble Mode and the Redesigned Chat View

Bubble mode chat view is the signature look of Telegram X. Instead of the plain message list of the main app, chats in bubble mode show each message inside a rounded bubble, with the sender’s avatar, the message text and the time arranged in a layout that feels closer to a modern chat app. The result is easier to scan at a glance, because your eye can follow one bubble to the next without losing the thread of a conversation. In a busy group chat, that scannability is a real advantage, and I found myself reading long group threads faster in Telegram X than in the main app.

The redesigned chat view also changes how media appears. Photos and videos sit inside the bubbles with rounded corners, and tapping a photo opens a viewer that feels quick and smooth. Links show a preview card, and voice messages show a clear waveform with a play button that is easy to hit with a thumb. None of this changes what Telegram can do, but it changes how pleasant Telegram feels to use for an hour a day, and pleasant matters when an app is open on your screen that often.

Turning On Bubble Mode

Bubble mode is a setting, not a separate app, so you can switch it on or off whenever you like. Open the settings, look for the appearance or chat settings section, and find the bubble mode toggle. Turn it on, open any chat, and the new layout appears immediately. If you do not like it, turn it off and the classic list returns. I suggest trying bubble mode for three days before deciding, because the first hour feels strange simply because it is different, and the third day is when you can tell whether it genuinely helps you read faster.

Swipe Gestures That Save Taps

Swipe gestures are the second feature that makes Telegram X feel quick. Swipe right on a message to reply to it, swipe left to open the chat’s options, and swipe from the edge of the screen to go back to the chat list. Those gestures sound small, but they remove dozens of small taps across a day of messaging. Replying to a specific message in a fast-moving group is the gesture I used most, because tapping a tiny reply button in the middle of a heated group discussion is fiddly, while a quick swipe is almost automatic once your thumb learns it.

The gestures also make one-handed use easier on a large phone. My phone is too wide to reach the top corners comfortably with one hand, so any action that lives in a swipe instead of a top-corner button is an action I can actually do while holding a coffee in the other hand. Telegram X leans into that idea more than the main app does, and after a week I caught myself trying the same swipes in other apps and being annoyed when they did nothing.

Night Mode and Theme Options

Night mode in Telegram X turns the interface dark, which is easier on the eyes in a dim room and kinder to battery life on phones with OLED screens. The dark theme here is a true dark theme rather than a grey wash, and the contrast is high enough that text stays readable without squinting. There is also an automatic option that switches between light and dark based on the time of day or the system’s own dark mode setting, so you can set it once and forget about it.

Theme options go further than a simple light and dark choice. Telegram X lets you adjust accent colours and chat backgrounds, so the app can look like yours rather than like everyone else’s. I kept the default dark theme with a deep blue accent for most of my testing, because it was calm and readable, but I also tried a warmer theme for a weekend and found the change made the app feel fresh without making it harder to use. A theme change is a small pleasure, and Telegram X treats it as one.

Telegram X Speed and Performance on Android

Speed is the reason most people try Telegram X, and on my mid-range phone the speed advantage was real, if modest. Chats opened a fraction faster, the chat list scrolled without stutter even in groups with thousands of messages, and switching between chats felt immediate rather than merely quick. The animations are the visible part of that speed: transitions glide, the keyboard appears without a hitch, and the app rarely shows a loading spinner where the main app might show one for half a second.

That said, the gap has narrowed over the years. The main Telegram app has become faster with each release, and on a flagship phone the difference between the two apps is hard to notice at all. The speed advantage of Telegram X is clearest on a mid-range or older phone, where every saved millisecond adds up across a day of messaging. On my test phone, which is two years old and far from the fastest on the market, Telegram X felt like the lighter app. On a brand-new flagship, I would call it a tie.

Battery use was unremarkable in the best sense: Telegram X did not appear near the top of my battery usage list in any week of testing, and background use stayed low. The app does not run heavy background tasks, and its notifications arrive promptly without keeping the phone awake. If battery life is your worry, the choice between Telegram and Telegram X will not decide it. Your screen brightness and your group chat habits will matter far more.

How Telegram X Handles Large Groups and Channels

Large groups and channels are where Telegram’s design is tested hardest, because a group with tens of thousands of members generates a constant stream of messages, media and reactions. Telegram X handled a busy channel with several thousand members without visible lag in my testing, and the chat list stayed responsive while new messages arrived. The search inside a group worked well too, and finding an old message by keyword took seconds rather than minutes.

One detail I appreciated was how Telegram X handles media in large groups. Photos load progressively, so you see a blurry preview first and the full image a moment later, instead of staring at a blank space. Videos start playing inline without opening a separate player, which keeps you inside the conversation instead of bouncing between screens. These are small touches, but in a group that posts a hundred photos a day, they are the difference between a pleasant scroll and a chore.

Telegram X Privacy Settings Worth Checking First

Privacy is where Telegram X and the main Telegram app share the same foundation, because both connect to the same Telegram service and the same account settings. Your privacy choices live in the Telegram account, not in one app or the other, so a setting you change in Telegram X also applies in Telegram. That shared foundation is convenient, but it also means you should check the settings once, carefully, rather than assuming either app has done it for you.

The first setting to check is who can see your phone number. Telegram lets you hide your number from everyone except your contacts, and that is the choice I recommend for most people. The second is who can see your last seen time and your profile photo, because those two details reveal more about your habits than most people realise. Set last seen to contacts only, or to nobody, and decide separately who may see your profile photo. The third is who can add you to groups, because being added to a random group by a stranger is the most common annoyance on Telegram, and the setting that limits group invites to your contacts removes it entirely.

Two-Step Verification in Telegram X

Two-step verification adds a password on top of the SMS code that Telegram sends when you sign in on a new device. Without it, anyone who can read your SMS messages could sign in as you, which is a real risk if your number is ever recycled or your SIM is swapped. With it, an attacker needs both the SMS code and your password, which is a much harder bar to clear. Setting it up takes two minutes: open settings, find the privacy and security section, choose two-step verification, pick a password you will remember, and add a recovery email so you can get back in if you forget the password.

I set up two-step verification on the first day of testing and I have never regretted it. The only time it costs you anything is when you sign in on a new phone, and that happens rarely enough that a few extra seconds are a fair price for the protection. Write the password down somewhere safe, because Telegram cannot recover it for you if you lose both the password and the recovery email. That sounds strict, and it is, but strict is what you want from the lock on your messages.

Setting a Passcode Lock for Telegram X

A passcode lock is a second layer that protects the app itself rather than the account. With a passcode set, anyone who picks up your phone while it is open still has to enter a code or a fingerprint to open Telegram X. This is worth setting up if you share your phone with family, if you leave it on a desk at work, or if your chats contain anything you would rather keep private. The setting lives in the same privacy and security section, and you can choose a four-digit code, a longer password, or your fingerprint where the phone supports it. I use a fingerprint, because it is fast enough that I never notice it and strong enough that a curious colleague cannot open my chats.

Secret Chats and Cloud Chats: What Is Actually Encrypted

This is the part of Telegram privacy that confuses the most people, so here it is plainly. Ordinary Telegram chats, including groups and channels, are stored in Telegram’s cloud and encrypted between your device and Telegram’s servers, but they are not end-to-end encrypted by default. That means Telegram’s servers hold the data in a form the company could technically read, even though the company states that it does not. End-to-end encrypted secret chats are the exception: they live only on the two devices involved, they cannot be forwarded, they can be set to self-destruct, and nobody in the middle can read them, including Telegram itself.

Secret chats are available in Telegram X just as they are in the main app, and starting one takes a few taps from a contact’s profile. The trade-off is that secret chats do not sync across devices, so a secret chat started on your phone will not appear on your tablet or desktop. For everyday conversation with friends and family, cloud chats are the practical choice, because syncing matters more than the extra layer of encryption. For a conversation that genuinely needs to stay private, use a secret chat and accept the loss of syncing as the price of that privacy.

Telegram X vs Telegram vs WhatsApp: A Head-to-Head Comparison

Most readers are not choosing Telegram X in isolation. They are choosing between Telegram X, the main Telegram app, and WhatsApp, and the right answer depends on what they value most. The table below compares the three on the points that actually decide the choice, and the paragraphs after it give a verdict for each kind of user. If you want a different kind of social app altogether then OK is a natural next app to try. When you want live streaming instead of messaging then Bigo Live covers that need neatly. And for a third option, focused on gaming streams, Twitch is worth a look as well.

The verdict per use case is honest rather than dramatic. Pick Telegram X if you value the bubble layout and the swipe gestures and you use a mid-range phone where its lighter feel is noticeable, because that is where it genuinely wins. Pick the main Telegram app if you want every new Telegram feature the day it appears and you do not want to wonder whether an update has reached your client yet, because the main app is where Telegram’s energy goes first. Pick WhatsApp if your friends and family are all there and you want end-to-end encryption on every personal chat by default, because the app your contacts actually use beats the app with the better feature list. Many people end up with Telegram X for daily chatting and WhatsApp for family, and that split is a sensible answer rather than a failure to choose.

Telegram X User Feedback: What People Praise and What They Complain About

User feedback on Telegram X follows a clear pattern, and it has stayed consistent across the years I have followed it. The praise is about the feel of the app, and the complaints are about the pace of updates. That split tells you almost everything you need to know before installing it, because the feel is what you will notice every day and the update pace is what decides whether the app keeps up with Telegram’s new features.

What people praise most is the interface. Reviews and comments from users regularly mention the bubble mode, the smooth animations, the night mode and the swipe gestures as the reasons they stay. Users on older phones praise the speed in particular, and several mention that Telegram X feels like the version of Telegram they wish the main app had been all along. The second thing people praise is the stability: Telegram X rarely crashes, it handles large groups well, and it does not drain the battery, which is a combination that earns loyalty quietly over months rather than loudly on day one.

What people complain about most is the update schedule. Telegram X has gone through long stretches without an update, and during those stretches the main Telegram app has added features that Telegram X users wait for: new sticker formats, new group tools, new video features and new privacy options. Users also complain that some newer Telegram features arrive in Telegram X late or never arrive at all, which leaves them feeling like second-class citizens on their own platform. A smaller group of users complain about the occasional rough edge, such as a setting that moved without warning after an update, or a feature that works slightly differently than in the main app and takes a day to relearn.

What the Feedback Means for a New User in 2026

The feedback means you should install Telegram X for what it is today, not for what it might become. What it is today is a fast, pleasant, stable Telegram client with a distinctive layout and a loyal following. What it is not, today, is the place where Telegram’s newest ideas appear first. If you install it expecting the latest Telegram feature on launch day, you will be disappointed. If you install it expecting a smoother daily messaging experience on the Telegram account you already have, you will probably be pleased, and you can keep the main app installed alongside it for the days when you need a feature that has not reached Telegram X yet.

One more pattern in the feedback is worth noting: the people who love Telegram X most are the people who have used it for years and have shaped their habits around its gestures and layout. The people who try it for a day and leave are usually the ones who expected it to be a different service rather than a different window onto the same service. Give it a week, use the gestures until they feel natural, and then decide. A day is not enough to judge an app whose main virtues are speed and feel.

Pros and Cons of Telegram X

After a month of side-by-side testing with the main Telegram app, the balance of Telegram X is clear. Its strengths are about the experience of messaging, and its weaknesses are about the pace of development. Neither side is a small matter, and the right choice depends on which side matters more to you, which is why the lists below are kept separate and specific rather than blurred into a single score.

What Telegram X Does Well

• Smooth, fast interface: animations glide, chats open quickly, and the chat list stays responsive even in large groups, which makes the app feel lighter than the main client on a mid-range phone.
• Bubble mode and gestures: the bubble chat view is easier to scan, and swipe to reply plus edge swipes to navigate remove dozens of small taps across a day of messaging.
• Night mode and themes: a true dark theme with automatic switching and adjustable accent colours makes the app comfortable at midnight and personal during the day.
• Same account, same chats: signing in with your existing Telegram number brings every chat, group, channel and contact with it, so there is nothing to rebuild and no contacts list to move.
• Stable and light on battery: the app rarely crashes, handles busy groups well, and never appeared near the top of my battery usage list during a month of testing.

Where Telegram X Falls Short

• Updates arrive slowly: Telegram X has gone through long stretches without an update, and new Telegram features often reach the main app first, which leaves Telegram X users waiting.
• Some features arrive late or never: a feature that launches in Telegram may take months to appear in Telegram X, or may not appear at all, so keeping the main app installed alongside it is often necessary.
• Less certain future: the Telegram team focuses most of its energy on the main app, so the long-term future of Telegram X as a separate client is less certain than the future of Telegram itself.

Who Telegram X Is For

Telegram X suits a Telegram user who chats a lot every day, who likes a distinctive layout, and who uses a mid-range or older phone where a lighter app is noticeable. It suits a night owl who reads messages in the dark, a group chat regular who replies to specific messages all day, and anyone who enjoys trying a different window onto a service they already use. It suits less well a user who wants every new Telegram feature on launch day, a user who needs the latest group tools for managing a large community, and a user who dislikes keeping two similar apps on one phone. For the first group, Telegram X is a pleasure. For the second group, the main Telegram app is the safer choice.

Telegram X FAQ: Accounts, Secret Chats and Common Questions

These are the questions people actually ask when they first hear about Telegram X, answered from a month of using it alongside the main app.

Is Telegram X free to use?

Yes, Telegram X is free, with no subscription and no paid tier inside the app itself. Telegram does offer an optional Premium subscription for the main Telegram service, which adds higher limits and extra features to the account, and those Premium benefits apply to your account whichever Telegram client you open. Telegram X on its own costs nothing to install and nothing to use, and there is no version of it that charges for the bubble mode or the gestures.

Can I use Telegram X and Telegram at the same time?

Yes, and this is the setup I recommend for anyone who is unsure. Both apps connect to the same account, the same chats and the same contacts, so a message sent from one appears in the other immediately. Install both, put Telegram X on the home screen for a week, and keep Telegram installed for the occasional feature that has not reached Telegram X yet. Running both costs little in storage or battery, and it lets your own habits decide which app earns the home screen.

Does Telegram X have secret chats?

Yes, Telegram X supports secret chats exactly as the main app does. A secret chat is end-to-end encrypted, lives only on the two devices involved, cannot be forwarded, and can be set to self-destruct after a chosen time. Start one from a contact’s profile, and remember that it will not sync to your other devices, because that is the price of the extra privacy. For everyday chats, the ordinary cloud chats are the practical choice, and secret chats are best saved for conversations that genuinely need to stay private.

Why has Telegram X not been updated for a long time?

Telegram X has gone through long quiet periods because the Telegram team has focused its development energy on the main Telegram app, where most users are. During those quiet periods the app keeps working, because it connects to the same Telegram service, but new Telegram features may not appear in it. If you notice that a feature your friends have in Telegram is missing in Telegram X, that quiet period is the reason. Check the current version listed on the app page before installing, so you know whether the version you are getting is recent or has been waiting a while.

Final Verdict on Telegram X: A Faster Window Onto Telegram

After a month of side-by-side testing, my verdict is that Telegram X is a genuinely pleasant way to use Telegram, and a slightly uncertain one to rely on exclusively. The interface is faster, the bubble mode is easier to scan, the gestures save real time, and the night mode is the best dark theme I have used in a messaging app. Those are qualities you feel every single day, and they are the reason Telegram X has kept a loyal following for years despite its slow update pace. The trade-off is real too: new features arrive late, the future of the app as a separate client is less certain than the main app’s future, and anyone who manages a large group or needs the newest tools will find themselves opening Telegram anyway.

The practical answer is to run both. Install Telegram X, sign in with your existing number, turn on bubble mode and the night mode, set up two-step verification and a passcode lock, and use it for a week of ordinary messaging. Keep Telegram installed alongside it, and notice which app you reach for on day seven. If it is Telegram X, you have found your daily client. If it is Telegram, you have lost nothing, because your chats were the same in both. You can begin from Click here to download the Telegram X app and try the bubble layout tonight. If this one is close but not quite right, Click here to download the OK app. As a second option, Click here to download the Bigo Live app.