A Deep Dive into Telegram's People Nearby and Groups Nearby Features

Conclusion: While Telegram's 'People Nearby' and 'Groups Nearby' features once existed, they were removed due to abuse. Users can still interact with people and groups in their vicinity through other means, but should always be mindful of their privacy settings.

Telegram's People Nearby and Groups Nearby Features

Telegram used to offer a 'People Nearby' feature, but it has since been removed, and users can no longer find this menu in the app. This change came about because the feature was abused by unscrupulous individuals, leading to a large number of users being added in bulk via virtual location spoofing.

Where were Telegram's People Nearby and Groups Nearby Features located?

• On iOS: Tap 'Contacts' in the bottom navigation bar → Then select 'People Nearby & Groups'.
• On Android: Tap the three horizontal lines (hamburger menu) in the top-left corner of the main screen → Then select 'People Nearby & Groups'.

Why couldn't I see 'People Nearby & Groups' in the 'Contacts' interface on iOS?

If your contact list was empty, 'People Nearby & Groups' wouldn't appear by default. You just needed to add one contact (making sure to uncheck 'Share My Phone' when adding them) to make this feature visible. Additionally, enabling 'Contacts access' would also make it appear, but it wasn't recommended to enable this permission for privacy reasons.

What were the reasons for 'People Nearby' and 'Groups Nearby' appearing empty?

• People Nearby: By default, this was hidden. You needed to tap 'Make Myself Visible' to show yourself. Only if you enabled this option could others see you; similarly, you could only see others if they had enabled it.
• Groups Nearby: If no one nearby had created a group, this feature would simply appear empty.

How were location-based groups created?

Below 'People Nearby & Groups', you could find the 'Create Local Group' option. Groups created using this feature would include location information (e.g., group name@notionso), and this information couldn't be removed. It's worth noting that public groups with location information didn't appear in Telegram's global search, and location information couldn't be added to already created groups.

By understanding these past features of Telegram, users could better utilise the platform for social interaction, while always remembering to protect their personal privacy.