The government’s temporary restriction on Telegram ahead of the NEET UG 2026 re-exam has pushed users to compare it with WhatsApp. Telegram allows anonymous usernames, massive groups up to 2 lakh members, 2GB file sharing, bots, cloud storage, and multi-device access, features WhatsApp still lacks or limits heavily.
The Indian government's decision to temporarily ban Telegram ahead of the NEET UG 2026 re-examination has done something ironic. It has introduced millions of curious Indians to a platform they had largely ignored in favour of WhatsApp. The ban targeted very specific Telegram features like anonymous channels, massive file sharing, and a timestamp-retaining edit function. All of these features WhatsApp simply does not have. Here is a look at what Telegram can do that its far more popular rival (WhatsApp) cannot.
1. You can chat without giving away your phone number
WhatsApp is built entirely around your phone number. Share it with someone and they can find you, message you, see your profile. There is no way around this. Telegram now supports usernames as primary identifiers. This mens you can chat with someone without sharing your phone number at all. You create a username, share that instead, and your number stays private. It is a small feature with enormous implications for privacy-conscious users, journalists, researchers, activists, and, as the NEET controversy showed, unfortunately for fraudsters running anonymous scam channels too.
2. Groups can accomodate up to 2,00,000 members
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