What is telegram-ios?

telegrammessenger/telegram-ios — explained in plain English

Analysis updated 2026-06-24

★ 8,519SwiftAudience · developerComplexity · 5/5LicenseSetup · hard

Mindmap

mindmap
  root((telegram-ios))
    What it is
      Full iOS app source
      Official from Telegram
    Build Process
      Register API credentials
      Run Python setup script
      Build with Bazel in Xcode
    Use Cases
      Custom Telegram client
      Security audit
      iOS architecture study
    Tech Stack
      Swift
      Bazel
      Python
    Audience
      iOS developers
      Security researchers

mindmap root((telegram-ios)) What it is Full iOS app source Official from Telegram Build Process Register API credentials Run Python setup script Build with Bazel in Xcode Use Cases Custom Telegram client Security audit iOS architecture study Tech Stack Swift Bazel Python Audience iOS developers Security researchers

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What do people build with it?

USE CASE 1

Build a custom-branded iOS messaging app on top of Telegram's infrastructure with your own name and API key

USE CASE 2

Audit Telegram's iOS source code to verify its privacy and encryption claims

USE CASE 3

Study how a large-scale production iOS app is organized, built with Bazel, and shipped to the App Store

USE CASE 4

Learn how Telegram handles common iOS issues like stalled builds or missing packages by reading the FAQ section

What is it built with?

SwiftBazelPythonXcode

How does it compare?

	telegrammessenger/telegram-ios	clipy/clipy	maxgoedjen/secretive
Stars	8,519	8,519	8,516
Language	Swift	Swift	Swift
Setup difficulty	hard	moderate	easy
Complexity	5/5	2/5	2/5
Audience	developer	general	developer

Figures from each repo's GitHub metadata at analysis time.

How do you get it running?

Difficulty · hard Time to first run · 1day+

Requires Xcode, Bazel, Apple developer credentials, and a multi-step configuration process before the first build succeeds.

You may use and modify this code, but you must publish any modifications under the same open-source license, use a different app name and logo, and register your own Telegram API credentials.

So what is it?

This repository contains the full source code for the Telegram iOS app, published by Telegram themselves. Having the source code public means anyone can inspect how the app works, verify its privacy claims, or build a modified version for their own purposes. The README is primarily a guide for developers who want to compile the code and run their own builds. Before doing so, Telegram asks that developers register for their own API credentials rather than using Telegram's, give their app a different name so users know it is not the official Telegram client, use a different logo, and publish their own modified source code to comply with the open-source license. Building the app requires Xcode (Apple's development tool for iOS apps), a Python script included in the repository, and a build system called Bazel that handles compiling large projects. The process involves cloning the code, setting up configuration files with developer credentials and team identifiers from Apple, generating an Xcode project using the Python script, and then building from Xcode. The README covers both a minimal development build for testing and a more involved release build for distributing an app. A FAQ section addresses two specific errors developers commonly hit: a stalled build waiting on a file, and a missing package error after restarting the machine. Both have straightforward fixes described in the README. This is useful for security researchers, developers building on Telegram's platform, or anyone who wants to understand how a production-grade iOS messaging app is structured.

Copy-paste prompts

Prompt 1

I want to build a development version of the Telegram iOS app from source. Walk me through the full steps: registering API credentials, cloning the repo, running the Python setup script, and building in Xcode.

Prompt 2

Help me set up Bazel on macOS for building the Telegram iOS repo, what version is required and how do I install it?

Prompt 3

I am getting the stalled build error described in the Telegram iOS FAQ. What file is it waiting on and how do I fix it?

Prompt 4

I want to create a custom Telegram iOS client with my own branding. What files do I need to change to replace the app name, bundle ID, and icon?

Prompt 5

Walk me through the difference between the minimal development build and the release build described in the Telegram iOS README.

Frequently asked questions