In the following article we are going to take a look at some options that we have available to use Telegram from Ubuntu. At first glance, it may seem that Telegram needs to be glued to the mobile phone to use it. But when you are working with your Ubuntu, you don't have to be on the phone. Telegram has its corresponding Ubuntu compatible version, and practically with any operating system.
When we start the Telegram client, the system will ask us to identify ourselves. In this case, we will not have to use the typical username. Instead, we will use our mobile phone to ensure access by means of a code that they will send us via SMS. This is why we will need a phone number.
As I said, the first time we run the application, it will ask us for the number to which it will send the SMS more or less immediately. This procedure is the same for each new installation.. If you use the same phone number each time, the system will return the screen with the channels you have selected on other devices.
Use the Telegram client in Ubuntu
Install the Telegram client through APT
In most distributions, we will be able to find the Telegram Desktop client in the repositories. A search of the Ubuntu repositories will show you both the desktop client and some other packages. These other packages are to support voice over IP in the Telegram installation. There are also development libraries available.
To install Telegram client using APT package manager, you just have to open a terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T) and write in it:
sudo apt install telegram-desktop
A little warning about the version that APT is going to install. It lags a bit behind other installation options. But unless there is a security issue, this shouldn't be a problem.
Snap option
We will also be able to install the client using the snap package. This package generally updates faster than others. If you search with the snap command, you can find the desktop app and some other cool options. Installation can be done by opening a terminal (Ctrl + Alt + T) and using the snap command as follows:
sudo snap install telegram-desktop
An option that you can find by looking a little is the possibility of use a version of the Telegram client for the command line. The plugin is called telegram-cli.
Download tarball
This is as simple as downloading the tarball from the website and unpacking it. The procedure is extremely simple and it will only show us two files. No need to compile anything. On the page for download the compressed file, you can also find files for other platforms.
Once the package is downloaded, unzip it and look inside the directory to be created:
tar -xvf tsetup.x.x.x.tar.xz cd tsetup* cd Telegram
Inside the directory, the two files that we will find are; the executable and the update program. Both of us will just have to execute them.
Command line option
As I mentioned earlier, searching a bit with snap, we will find a command line client available. This Customer does not recognize previous clients on the machine in which it is running. You will have to get a new code when you start it.
The application will request your phone number. Write it in international format and you're done. For Spain you just have to add +34 before the phone number. The code will be sent to your phone as it happens when using a graphical client.
The best way to start is by using the channel list command and then the history command to see what is happening on your channels. All commands can be executed when you call the program. You can take a look at how to use it in your GitHub repository.
As you can see, it is easy to start using Telegram in our Ubuntu 18.10. If, on the other hand, none of these options convinces you, you can always use Telegram via web.
If you want to use Telegram in Ubuntu, but you are more interested in finding another way to connect, you can take a look at the article that a colleague wrote some time ago on this blog.