Telegram

Telegram makes communication possible across multiple platforms. Besides its elegance and ease of use, security is another one of Telegram's key features. Messages are heavily encrypted and stored in the cloud, where you can access them from your Mac or PC or from an iOS or Android mobile device. What's more, the application is offered completely free of charge, without any ads or hidden fees.

The application works straight out of the box. Once you have it up and running, which should take only a few seconds, you can start using it right away, without making any kind of configurations. More important, you don't have to spend any time creating an online account. Rather than filling in a large sign-up sheet, you only need to select your country and provide your mobile phone number.

When you insert your phone number and click a Next button, you will receive a message on your phone, with a five-digit code. Insert the code on the desktop user interface and the application will give you access to its main functions immediately.

Once you are properly signed in, you will have access to a contacts list, a chat archive and to a general settings panel, which can be selected on the left half of the user interface. Once you select a contact, you can chat with them on the right side of the interface, where you will also find options from the available settings groups and archived messages.

Besides chatting with single persons, you can also create groups and exchange messages with multiple people at once. The application has many other advantages to offer. For example, your groups may contain up to 200 people. Furthermore, Telegram provides support for file transfers, it can store your media in the cloud and much more. A particularly interesting security feature is the message self-destruct function, which should be self-explanatory. You can set the application to erase your messages automatically, after a specific period of time.