How to Get a Virtual Number for Telegram (and Keep the Account Safe)
25/10/2026Bold, Italic and All Text Formatting on Telegram
27/10/2026
Privacy setting · checked 27 October 2026
How to stop people adding you to Telegram groups
Short answer: open Settings › Privacy and Security and tap Invites on Android, Groups on iPhone or Groups & channels on Desktop. Set “Who can add me” to My Contacts or Nobody. Anyone outside that circle can no longer drop you into a group or channel; Telegram offers them a Send Invite Link button instead, so joining becomes your choice. Add people to Always Allow or Never Allow for exceptions.
- Your contactsaved in your contacts
- Contact on Never Allowan old colleague who spams
- Stranger with Premiumnot in your contacts
- Mass-adding strangerfound your number or username
Added directly Can only send you an invite link
Where is the setting in each Telegram app?
The setting is stored on your account, so changing it once covers every device. Only the name of the row differs between apps.
Who can add me to group chats?
- Everybody
- My Contacts
- Nobody
You can restrict who can add you to groups and channels with granular precision.
Exceptions
- Always AllowAdd Users
- Never AllowAdd Users
- Open the menu ☰ and tap Settings.
- Tap Privacy and Security.
- In the Privacy list, tap Invites.
- Choose My Contacts or Nobody.
- Add exceptions if you need them, then go back. It saves on its own.
How do Always Allow and Never Allow work?
Exceptions override the main choice, both ways. You can add single people or a whole group: adding a group covers all of its members. Tap a name to move it between the arms.
Tap a name to move it ›
Only your contacts can add you, plus Your partner and the members of Work Team. Nobody on your Never list can.
Only the Always Allow list has an extra switch for all Telegram Premium subscribers.
‹ Tap a name to move it
What does the other person see when they try to add you?
They are not told your setting in words, but they can tell. Telegram lists who could not be added and offers a link instead. These texts are taken from the Telegram for Android source. If you are the one adding and see “you can only add mutual contacts”, that is a different problem: a spam limit on your account.
Mia restrict adding them to groups. You can send them an invite link as message instead.
Send Invite Link
You decide. Ignore it, or tap Join if you want in.
The invite reaches you as a regular private message with a link. Nothing happens until you tap Join.
Already added to a spam group?
The privacy setting only works from now on; it does not pull you out of groups you are in. Clear those in this order.
Report it as spam
When a stranger adds you, Telegram usually shows a bar at the top of that chat with Report Spam. Use it to send the chat to Telegram’s moderators and get out of it; some apps call the button Report Spam and Leave. Details are in our guide to reporting on Telegram.
Leave the rest in one go
On phones, long-press a chat in the list, tap the others to select them, then choose Delete or Leave. Leaving a group takes you out of it for good unless someone adds you again.
Block the person who added you
Open their profile and tap Block. You can review that list later in our block list guide.
Turn on Archive and Mute
Under Privacy and Security, “New chats from unknown users” can “automatically archive and mute new chats, groups and channels from non-contacts.” It shows for Premium users, and for other accounts when Telegram turns it on for them.
Close the door for next time
Set Invites to My Contacts or Nobody, as shown above. New adds from strangers stop at once.
Which setting fits you?
Pick the line that sounds like you. The card on the right shows a setup and its one side effect.
Friends can still pull you into the family group. Strangers have to send a link.
- Exceptions
- None needed
- Side effect
- A new friend you have not saved yet cannot add you directly.
What does this setting not stop?
Invites control one thing: being added. Spammers have other routes. Here is what stays open and which setting closes it.
- Strangers sending you invite links
The link fallback still works. Limit who can message you in Privacy and Security › Messages (in most apps that option needs Premium), or turn on Archive and Mute.
- Contacts who turn spammy
My Contacts trusts every saved number. Put that person on Never Allow, or block them.
- Calls from strangers
Separate setting. See how to stop Telegram calls.
- A false sense of safety from Messages privacy
The Android app warns about this itself: “You’ve restricted who can message you, but anyone can still invite you to groups and channels.” Set both.
- Channels
Covered. The same rule applies to groups and channels.
- Groups you already joined
Not covered. Leave them, or mute them in notification settings.
Questions about group invites
How do I stop people from adding me to Telegram groups?
Go to Settings › Privacy and Security and open Invites on Android, Groups on iPhone or Groups & channels on Desktop. Set “Who can add me” to My Contacts or Nobody. People outside that choice can then only send you an invite link.
Can I stop my contacts from adding me too?
Yes. Choose Nobody to stop everyone, then put the few people you trust on Always Allow. Or keep My Contacts and add the problem contacts to Never Allow.
What happens when someone tries to add me after I change it?
Telegram tells them it could not add you because of your privacy settings and offers a Send Invite Link button. The link reaches you as a private message, and you join only if you tap it.
Does the setting remove me from groups I’m already in?
No. It only blocks new adds. Leave unwanted groups yourself, and report the spam ones from the bar at the top of the chat.
Does it work for channels as well as groups?
Yes. Telegram’s own description of the setting is “who can add you to groups and channels”.
Why do I still get group links from strangers?
Sending a link is a normal message, which this setting does not control. Restrict who can message you under Privacy and Security › Messages, or use Archive and Mute for new chats from non-contacts.
Will people know that I restricted group invites?
They see that you could not be added because of your privacy settings, but not which option you picked or who is on your exception lists.
Which guides go with this one?
How we checked this guide. On 27 October 2026 we read the privacy screens and invite error texts in the source code of Telegram for Android (PrivacyControlActivity, PrivacySettingsActivity, AlertsCreator), Telegram for iOS, Telegram Desktop and Telegram Web, and Telegram’s API notes on invites and invite links and client configuration. Row names can differ slightly by app version and language. Written by the AddTelegramMember team, a Telegram growth service since 2019.