StudyQA — Telegram VS WhatsApp

Nowadays the concept of a messenger is no longer associated only with the exchange of text messages. Modern messengers have already become full-fledged communication centers, which, in addition to messaging, implement voice and video communications, file exchange, and web conferences.

Today universities can use messengers as communication channels that help create a stable connection with their students and applicants.

In this article we will look into two of popular messengers ー WhatsApp and Telegram. Below is a list of differences that may determine the choice of a messenger:

1. Telegram works on any device ー a smartphone, a PC or a laptop, a tablet, smart watches. Synchronization across all the devices allows to instantly make changes and see recent calls, chat history, video, etc across all devices.  

In contrast to Telegram, WhatsApp, as well as Viber, which is another quite popular messenger, need permission to synchronize. WhatsApp is able to work only through the smartphone, which has to be connected to the same WiFi as the device that needs to be added.  Whatsapp desktop version has limited usability and requires extra verification from the phone to sign in every time. Whatsapp also does not allow to use one account in several phones/devices.  

Why is it bad? Firstly, it makes it impossible to use WhatsApp on tablets, which hinders the use of them as the main device. Secondly, due to the synchronization, WhatsApp needs more time to load and launch even on the computers that cost $3000 and have the newest 8-core processors. 

2. Telegram works swiftly. It flies in comparison to WhatsApp. Every action is performed instantly. It is especially noticeable when sending files from a PC. They are sent in a split second directly to the server. In the case of WhatsApp a file is firstly sent to the smartphone, and only then to the server, which, of course, takes some time. 

3. Telegram has a message history, and it is never really deleted. On WhatsApp attachments (contracts, acts, simple technical specifications, or even agreements with someone) become unavailable in an unpredictably random time, but always at the worst possible moment. For instance, when the source version is needed, WhatsApp can just say that the file no longer exists on the device and the sender should resend it. In contrast, Telegram stores all files and all history for years and searches them in a convenient, clear, instantly working way. The same applies to all messages. Finally, when moving from phone to phone, in the case of WhatsApp a message history can be easily lost if the specifics of chat backups are not taken into consideration. Even after the restoring of chat backups some of the information is lost.

4. Telegram allows to exchange files of rather big size ー even sending movies is not a problem. WhatsApp works with smaller files. Nowadays, when basically everything is online, the option to send, for instance, a recording of a seminar or a stream of an Open Day might be in high demand. 

5. Telegram doesn't show one’s phone number to everyone. In contrast, WhatsApp shows a user’s phone number to everyone as soon as this user is added to a group, which is an obvious lack of privacy.

6. Telegram allows to make folders, in which one can put, for example, media, work chats, bots with convenient functionality, and so on. In contrast, WhatsApp shows all the chats together.

7. Telegram is faster when adding someone to the contact list. On WhatsApp in order to do it one needs to make more clicks, and only in the smartphone version.

8. Telegram’s functionality provides diversity in ways to establish a fruitful conversation with applicants and make their experience with the university pleasant. Thus, Telegram provides bots, channels, polls and comments in them. WhatApp does not provide anything other than chats.

9. Telegram shows the user's photo and nickname when you open the dialog for the first time, when they are not registered in the contact list. WhatsApp shows only a phone number of a new user, which makes it incredibly difficult to communicate in a group chat with many unknown people.

10. Telegram constantly adds useful new features. Less than a month passes before some update appears on it, which everyone immediately starts using. On WhatsApp, new versions appear much less frequently, and often are reduced to changing the app icon.

11. Telegram works perfectly with authorization without losing it. WhatsApp constantly loses connection to the smartphone when connecting from different computers, forcing a user to reconnect.

12. Telegram allows to disable notifications and remember the set up for each channel or group. WhatsApp doesn't have the option to disable notifications for the group permanently.

13. People who choose Telegram as the main messenger (if it is possible to choose!) are more technically advanced and active, while WhatsApp users are generally less tech savvy. The choice of a messenger may help to differentiate potential customers, of course, without it being the main factor.

14. WhatsApp has more users in the world. According to DataReportal, by October 2020 WhatsApp has 2 bln monthly active users, whereas Telegram has 400 mln of them. 

15. Telegram allows users to edit a typo, while on WhatsApp one can only delete the message and resend it. This option might be very useful for universities, because the need to correct some information in the channel, for instance, may arise quite often. Thus, visually it might be better to not have deleted messages in the chat/channel.

16. Stickers! Telegram users generally enjoy its variety of stickers and the possibility to add custom-made ones. These custom-made stickers can be extremely beneficial for universities since they can help in creating or developing the university’s brand.

17. Telegram has a feature of a delayed delivery, which is very convenient when one does not want to wake someone up in the middle of the night with the message. With a delayed delivery it is possible to set up the date and time of a message sending. It is a great feature for planning information delivery in a way that no message is forgotten to be sent.

As it can be seen from this article, Telegram has more features that might make it the messenger of choice for universities. It is safe to say that the list of factors which influence the choice is a thing that should be taken into consideration, since young people, who are the main audience, are generally smart and susceptible to changes around. That means that they need a messenger that will meet all their expectations and help make the communication between them and the university efficient.