# Telegram Receive customer notifications in a private Telegram chat or trusted support group, then reply to the customer's in-app conversation. An organization Owner connects a bot separately for each app in **Settings → Apps → your app → Integrations → Telegram**. ## What Telegram receives {#overview} Notifications show **App · User** and the customer's message. A ✓ marks a [verified identity](/docs/accounts#verified-users). Long notifications are shortened, and photo files are not sent to Telegram. Open the [inbox](/docs/dashboard) for full content and images. Dashboard replies are not mirrored into Telegram.  Customer messages still reach the inbox if their Telegram notification fails. Missed notifications, including messages received while paused or disconnected, are not automatically replayed. ## Connect Telegram {#connect} Use a bot dedicated to Reception and a private chat, group, or supergroup. Channels are unsupported. Everyone who can send ordinary messages in the chosen chat can reply to customers, even without a Reception dashboard account. Limit access to your support team. ### Create your bot with BotFather 1. Open the official [BotFather](https://t.me/BotFather) in Telegram and send `/newbot`. 2. Follow its prompts for a display name and bot username. 3. Keep the resulting token private; enter it only in Reception's **Bot token** field. If the token is exposed, replace it through BotFather and update each Reception app using the bot.  ### Choose a private chat or support group For private notifications, open your new bot and tap **Start**. For a team, add it to a trusted group and allow it to send messages. Keep bot privacy mode enabled; replies to its notifications are enough for this workflow. Removing someone's Reception membership does not remove their Telegram access. Manage group membership separately. ### Find the chat ID without exposing the token Use the destination's numeric chat ID, including its minus sign if negative, or a public supergroup's `@username`. Do not use the bot ID, an invite link, phone number, or a person's username. For an existing connection, find the ID under **Edit connection**. For a new connection, ask the person managing your bot for the destination ID. If needed, ask the Reception team for help without sharing the bot token. ### Save credentials in the dashboard 1. Open your app's **Telegram** settings and choose **I have the token**. 2. Enter **Bot token** and **Chat ID**, then choose **Connect Telegram**. 3. Verify notifications and a real reply using the steps below. **Connected** means the connection is saved and enabled; verify delivery separately. **Paused** retains the connection but stops notifications and replies. **Not set up** means the connection is incomplete or removed. Use **Edit connection** to update the destination or token. A blank token field keeps the saved token, which is not displayed. Saving a paused connection keeps it paused. You can also connect during onboarding; app settings provide testing, pause, and disconnect controls afterward.  ## Verify notifications and real replies ### Check outgoing delivery with Send test Choose **Send test** in app settings and confirm it appears in the intended Telegram chat. This checks notifications only: replying to a test or setup confirmation cannot verify customer replies. ### Check the complete conversation path 1. Send a new support message from your iOS app and confirm it appears in Inbox. 2. In Telegram, use **Reply** on that message's new notification and send a short text answer. 3. Look for **✓ Reply sent.**, then verify the answer in Inbox and your app. 4. If you use [push notifications](/docs/push-notifications), separately verify background delivery on a real iPhone. **✓ Reply sent.** means Reception saved the answer; it does not confirm device delivery, reading, or push. If the confirmation is missing, check Inbox before resending because the reply may already be saved. Previews and simulations do not test a real connection. ## Reply from Telegram {#reply} Always reply to the original customer notification, including for a second answer. Standalone messages, copied notifications, replies to teammates, and replies to **✓ Reply sent.** cannot reach the customer's conversation. ### Select the original message Open the notification's menu and choose **Reply**. On Telegram for Mac, right-click it. Check the reply preview identifies the customer notification before sending. ### Confirm the answer Look for **✓ Reply sent.** and check Inbox. For another answer, select the original notification again. ### Supported reply content Send nonempty plain text up to 4,000 characters after trimming. The answer appears as a team message without attribution to a dashboard teammate. Telegram formatting is not preserved. Photos, files, captions, voice messages, stickers, and other media are unsupported; use Inbox for images. Telegram edits and deletions do not change a saved Reception reply. Forwarded messages, bots, and anonymous or channel senders are ignored. In a group, reply as yourself. ### Closed conversations and old notifications Reopen a closed conversation in Inbox before replying. Answer in the device's latest conversation: an old notification can target a historical thread whose replies no longer appear in its current iOS chat. Reset or deleted conversations can no longer receive replies through old notifications. After changing the bot or destination, verify with a new customer notification. Manually sending the same answer again can create a duplicate reply. ## Pause or disconnect {#disconnect} Turn off **Notifications & replies** to pause the app's connection while keeping its credentials. Messages and replies missed during the pause are not replayed when you resume. Use a new customer notification to verify after resuming. Choose **Disconnect…** and confirm to remove the saved token and chat ID. This does not delete the bot, revoke its token, or delete Telegram history. Other Reception apps sharing the bot continue to work. Notifications already being sent can still arrive.  ## Shared bots and reply routing {#webhooks-and-shared-bots} One bot can serve several Reception apps, each with its own destination and enabled state. Everyone in a shared destination can answer notifications for those apps. Pausing one app does not pause the others. Use the bot only with Reception. Connecting it to another service can stop incoming replies even if outgoing notifications still arrive. After changing its token in BotFather, update every Reception app sharing it. ## Test during iOS development {#local-development-and-production-https} Your simulator and development iPhone use the same hosted Reception service. Follow the [conversation test above](#verify-notifications-and-real-replies) during development and before release; also test configured push on a real iPhone. ## Privacy notes {#privacy} Connecting Telegram shares the app name, customer display label, and message content with Telegram and everyone with access to the chat. There is no separate redaction setting. Apple push content settings do not affect Telegram. Review group membership and notification previews. Deleting Reception data does not remove Telegram copies; manage those separately. See [Data & privacy](/docs/privacy-and-data). ## Troubleshooting {#troubleshooting} | Symptom | What to check | | --- | --- | | Setup or Send test fails | Check the full token, destination, bot membership, permission to send, and whether you started your private bot chat. | | Notifications arrive but replies do not | Reply to a new customer notification as yourself with plain text. Check the connection is enabled, the conversation is open, and the bot is used only by Reception. | | A notification is no longer available for replies | Open the latest conversation in Inbox and answer there. | | Notifications are missing | Check Inbox first, then the enabled state and bot access. Missed notifications are not replayed. | | A previously working group stops receiving notifications | Check bot removal, group restrictions, and whether the destination's numeric ID changed. | Something not working? Write to us in the Support chat. We're happy to help. Briefly describe what happens and any error message you see. Include the affected app and time, but never a bot token.