Telegram is a popular messaging app used by millions of people around the world. The platform is known for sharing large media files, creating groups and channels, and much more. There are many benefits to using Telegram, but recently there have been complaints of users being added to random groups on Telegram without their knowledge. This can be really frustrating when you are bombarded with spam and promotional messages from groups you do not even know about.

how to stop people adding you ro telegram group or channel

To prevent this, Telegram has added privacy features that allow you to restrict who can add you to groups. In this guide, you’ll learn how to enable this feature and how to avoid being added to spam groups.

Why do I get added to random groups on Telegram?

  1. Your phone number may be visible to other users: When you create a Telegram account, your phone number is visible to other users who have your phone number saved in their contact list. This means that anyone who has your phone number can add you to a group without your permission. To prevent this, you can change your Telegram privacy settings so that only your contacts can add you to groups or so that no one can add you to groups or channels.
  2. Your Telegram username/phone number may be visible to other users: If you have a public Telegram username, other users can search for it and find your profile. Telegram group administrators can add you to groups without your permission. To prevent this, you can make your username private or change it to a name that is not easy to find.

How to Stop People Adding You to Telegram Group or Channel

Allow Only Your Contacts to Add to Group

image showing telegram groups and channels settings

Any Telegram user can create a group or channel with ease and add members to the group. Fortunately, Telegram has a privacy feature that allows you to control who can add you to groups. In the privacy settings, you can select “Everyone” so that anyone can add you to the groups, or “Contacts” where you can only allow people in the contact list to add you to the groups. You can also add exceptions for the individual users to control better who can add you to the groups.

  • Open Telegram and go to “Settings” by tapping on the three horizontal lines in the upper left corner of the screen.
  • Select “Privacy and Security.”
  • Under the “Groups” section, select the option “Who can add me to groups.”
  • Here, you can specify if everyone can add you to groups, if only your contacts can add you to groups, or if no one can add you to groups.
  • If you select “Nobody,” you’ll be prompted to approve or deny every group invitation before you’re added to the group.
  • Once you make your selection, your Telegram privacy settings will be updated, and other people will no longer be able to add you to groups without your approval.

Block the User

image showing telegram block user

Blocking may prevent the user from adding you to random Telegram groups. Once you block the user, they’ll not be able to send you messages, call you, or see your profile. You’ll also be removed from any groups or channels the user has created. If the blocked user tries to message you, they’ll receive a message that they have been blocked. You can also unblock a user at any time by going to the Blocked Users section in your Telegram settings, selecting the user you want to unblock, and tapping Unblock

If you want to block a user on Telegram, follow these simple steps:

  1. Open the Telegram app and go into the chat with the user you want to block.
  2. Tap on the user’s profile picture or name to open their profile.
  3. On the profile page, tap on the three dots in the upper right corner of the screen.
  4. Select “Block” from the menu that appears
  5. A confirmation message will appear asking if you really want to block the user. Tap “Block” to confirm.

Rename Your Username

image showing telegram user name settings

A Telegram username is a unique identifier that allows you to create a public profile on Telegram. This username is used to help other users find you on the platform and start a chat with you. If the administrators have access to your Telegram username, you can be easily added to a group or channel without your knowledge.

The username is different from the phone number. Changing your username will remove your old identification, and it’ll prevent spammers from adding you to groups. Remember that once you change your Telegram username, the old username becomes available to other users, and changing your username won’t affect your chats, channels, or other data on Telegram. You can easily change the username on Telegram.

If you want to change your Telegram username, follow these steps:

  1. Open Telegram and go to the “Settings” menu by tapping on the three horizontal lines in the top left corner of the screen.
  2. Select “Edit Profile.”
  3. Tap on your current username, located at the top of the screen.
  4. Delete your current username and enter your new desired username. Your new username can be up to 32 characters long and can include letters, numbers, and underscores.
  5. Once you have entered your new username, tap “Save” to update your profile.

Hide Your Phone Number

image showing telegram hide phone number

Using the cell phone number is another way that group administrators can add you to unknown groups. You can prevent unknown people from gaining access to your phone number via Telegram. When you hide your phone number on Telegram, your phone number is not visible to other Telegram users, especially other members of the groups and channels you join. Follow the steps below to hide your phone number from others.

  1. Open Telegram on any device.
  2. Tap the hamburger menu icon in the top left corner. Skip this step if you are running iOS.
  3. Select “Settings.”
  4. Click the “Privacy and Security” option.
  5. Click on the “Phone Number” option.
  6. Check “Nobody” to hide your phone number, even from people in your contact list.

Delete Your Telegram Account

image showing telegram delete account

Resetting your Telegram account is another good way to prevent group admins from adding random groups. It’s important to note that resetting your Telegram account is a permanent action and cannot be undone. Make sure you have copied and backed up important files before resetting the device. For detailed instructions on how to delete your Telegram account, check out our full guide.

Delete Telegram Account on an Android Device:

  1. Open the Telegram account on your Android device.
  2. Tap the hamburger menu icon in the upper-left corner and select Settings.
  3. Select Privacy and Security.
  4. Tap on the “If away” option under Delete my account and select the time period after which your Telegram account will be deleted when you are not using it.

Delete Telegram Account on an iOS Device:

  1. Open the Telegram app on your iPhone.
  2. Click the Settings tab and select Privacy and Security.
  3. Tap the If Away For option under AUTOMATICALLY DELETE MY ACCOUNT.
  4. Select a time to set the inactivity period, after which your Telegram account will be deleted.
  5. For the period of inactivity (iOS)/account self-destruction (Android), you can choose from 1 month, 3 months, 6 months, and 12 months. If you want to delete your account as early as possible, choose a shorter period, for example, one month, as the inactivity period.

So this way, you can prevent people from adding you to a Telegram group or channel. With a large number of users, it can be difficult for any platform to control what users post in the groups or channels. Fortunately, you can protect yourself from spammers with privacy settings in Telegram. I hope you find this guide helpful. If you have any suggestions, feel free to suggest them in the comments below. For more helpful Telegram guides, you can click on the links below.

FAQs on Stopping People from Adding You to Telegram Groups

loader image

  1. Open the Telegram group where you want to restrict who can send you messages.
  2. Tap the group name at the top of the screen to open the group's profile.
  3. Tap the "Members" section to see a list of all the group members.
  4. Find the member you want to restrict and tap on their name to open their profile.
  5. Tap the three dots in the top right corner of the screen.
  6. Select "Restrict" from the menu that appears.
  7. A list of options will appear that allows you to restrict the user's actions in the group. To prevent the user from sending you messages directly, select "Don't allow" next to "Send messages"

Once you have prevented the user from sending you messages directly, they'll no longer be able to send you messages in the group. However, they'll still be able to see your messages and participate in the group discussions. Remember that if you restrict a user, they'll receive a notification that they have been restricted.

Yes, there is a limit to the number of members you can add to a Telegram group. The maximum number of members in a group depends on the type of group and the version of Telegram you're using. As of February 2023, here are the numbers:

  1. Groups: In a basic group, you can have up to 200,000 members.
  2. Channels: unlike groups, channels are designed for one-way communication and have no limit on the number of subscribers. You can have an unlimited number of subscribers in a channel.

The easiest way to leave multiple groups on Telegram is to deactivate the account temporarily. Here are the steps:

  1. Open https://my.telegram.org/deactivate from your browser. Make sure you are logged in to your Telegram account.
  2. Provide a random reason for account deletion and click "Delete My Account."
  3. Once done, sign up again with the same phone number and you will have a clean slate without any group or channel.

Further Reading:

Was this article helpful?
YesNo