Telegram

Table of contents

  1. Overview
  2. Install Telegram
  3. How to use it
  4. For the Future: Update Telegram
  5. Remove Telegram

Overview

Telegram is an instant messaging app providing voice, video, and text communications, along with secure end-to-end encrypted messaging, file sharing, and a variety of community features like groups and channels.

telegram.png

The application’s configuration is not persistent and resets with every Tails reboot.
As a result, after each reboot you must set the proxy server and link Telegram to your account.
Although possible, the process for setting up a persistent configuration isn’t covered in this instruction.

Install Telegram

  • Make sure Flatpak has been installed. See Flatpak.

  • Clone Run-on-Tails GitHub repository: 
    $ cd ~/Downloads
$ git clone https://github.com/dutu/run-on-tails.git
  • Install Telegram: 
    $ torsocks flatpak install flathub org.telegram.desktop
  • Configure persistence: 
    $ chmod +x ./run-on-tails/telegram/config-persistence.sh 
$ ./run-on-tails/telegram/config-persistence.sh
    • Wait for the message Telegram application setup completed successfully.

How to use it

  • After Tails starts, before launching Telegram, wait for the desktop message “Additional software installed successfully”.

Telegram application requires Flatpak package. Flatpak is installed as additional software automatically every time you start Tails. It may take a couple of minutes until software installation completes.

  • Choose Applications ▸ Other ▸ Telegram

  • Set Proxy server:

    • Wait for Telegram Desktop welcome window to appear
    • Click on the spinning icon in the bottom-left corner of the welcome window
    • Choose Use custom proxy
    • Enter Hostname 127.0.0.1, port 9050, and then click Save
    • Wait for “SOCKS5 127.0.0.1:9050” to become connected, then click Close
    • Click Start Messaging

For the Future: Update Telegram

  • Open a Terminal window: choose Applications ▸ Utilities ▸ Terminal

  • Update the application:

    $ torsocks flatpak update org.telegram.desktop

Remove Telegram

  • Open a Terminal window: choose Applications ▸ Utilities ▸ Terminal

  • Remove the application, and unused runtimes and SDK extensions: 
    $ torsocks flatpak uninstall org.telegram.desktop
$ torsocks flatpak uninstall --unused
  • Remove menu entry and utility files: 
    $ dotfiles_dir="/live/persistence/TailsData_unlocked/dotfiles"
$ rm $dotfiles_dir/.local/share/applications/org.telegram.desktop.desktop
$ rm /home/amnesia/.local/share/applications/org.telegram.desktop.desktop
$ persistence_dir="/home/amnesia/Persistent"
$ rm -fr $persistence_dir/org.telegram.desktop