If you are concerned that someone could estimate your location through TelegramYou've come to the right place. The debate over the People Nearby feature and proximity tracking has returned to the forefront in recent weeks, following the emergence of an open-source tool that exploits the app's own visible data. We'll explain in detail how to disable the feature, what risks exist, what Telegram claims about it, and what has changed recently.
First of all, you should know that People Nearby is not intended to share your exact location., but rather to show nearby profiles with an approximate distance. The problem: that distance, combined with different techniques, can be used to triangulate specific locations. Furthermore, a project called CCTV has emerged that automates the collection of this data, visible on a global scale. With all this in mind, we'll review the settings, tell you how to remove your visibility, and what alternatives and changes Telegram proposes.
What is People Nearby and why can it affect your privacy?
People Nearby was born in 2019 as a social function all with discover users and groups in your environment, without having to exchange phone numbers. When you activate it, the approximate distance to other users is shown with open visibility, along with your username and, if public, your profile picture. Your phone number remains hidden.
On paper it sounds harmless, but That visible distance can be used to narrow down your positionThe security community has demonstrated that, with multiple vantage points, it's possible to triangulate a fairly precise location. That's where Close-Circuit Telegram Vision (CCTV) comes in. an open-source tool that connects to the Telegram API to list visible users in an area and display their distance, username, and image if public.
Its author, a cybersecurity expert named Ivan Glinkin, He claims that the accuracy obtained ranges between 50 and 100 meters., above other similar solutions. With CCTV, it is possible to query the locations of visible users anywhere in the world using coordinates, without having to physically move to the area as in the official app.
Telegram, meanwhile, lowers the alarm indicating that its API does not return exact positions and that the location data on their servers is approximately 800 meters. In addition, they recall that the visibility is disabled by default and is only shown to you if you grant permissions and decide to make yourself visible manually. In any case, the existence of tools that automate the query multiplies the risk of mass collection of visible profiles.
An important detail to know
CCTV does not allow searching for a person by their username.. The input it accepts is geographic coordinates, and from these, it returns the visible profiles in the area. Even so, The result shows the usernames and profile pictures available, which can make it easier to identify specific areas if you combine that information with other clues.
To illustrate how it works, the developer published a demonstration video on YouTube, but The platform removed the content for violating its rulesDespite this, the material remains accessible from the project's GitHub repository, which has contributed to its dissemination and to concerns about possible proximity tracing.
How to turn off People Nearby and avoid proximity tracking
The most effective way to avoid appearing in nearby listings is to completely disable your visibility in People Nearby. On Android, open the side menu from the button in the top left corner and go to the People Nearby section. On iPhone, go to the Contacts tab and look for the Find People Nearby option.
Once inside, Look at the button that appears above the user list. (if the list appears). If you see the red option "Hide me", it means you are currently visible: tap it to stop sharing your proximityIf, on the other hand, "Make me visible" or "Allow access" appears, you are already hidden and are not sharing your approximate location with anyone in that section.
Also remember that, if you give location permissions to Telegram But if you keep People Nearby disabled, the app won't show your profile in nearby listings. Still, if your goal is to protect yourself, you can revoke location permission at the system level when you don't need it, to prevent accidental activations or curious touches that make you visible.
Quick guide by platform
On Android- Open the side menu, go to People Nearby, and check your status. If "Hide Me" appears in red, you're visible and should tap it to turn off visibility. If "Make Me Visible" appears, you're already hidden. You can also tap "Hide Me" in System Settings. revoke location permission to Telegram to prevent him from accessing your position unless you grant it to him again.
On iPhone- Go to the Contacts tab and tap Find People Nearby. If you see "Make Me Visible" or "Allow Access," you're hidden. If "Hide Me" appears above the list of people nearby, turn it off. In iOS Settings, under Privacy & Location, you can restrict access to location for Telegram entirely or leave it alone when using the app.
A nuance about the profile picture- Even with People Nearby turned on, if you set your profile picture to be visible only to your contacts, you limit the exposure of your public data in nearby listings. This doesn't eliminate the proximity signal if you're visible, but it does reduce the information third parties could associate with your account.
What does Telegram say about accuracy and visibility?
Telegram maintains that People Nearby is off by default and is only activated after explicit consent from the user. It also states that The location data in your API is not accurate, introducing a margin of approximately 800 meters to prevent someone from locating you with millimeter precision.
Faced with this, the CCTV developer claims that his tool reaches accuracy between 50 and 100 meters. That discrepancy has fueled debate, although even accepting the higher margin, the combination of multiple readings and other sources of information can reduce uncertainty to very specific areas, especially in dense urban environments.
Current status: People Nearby retirement and new features
In parallel to this controversy, Telegram has started removing People Nearby from the server side, which causes it to stop working even on older versions of the app. The company argues that less than 0,1% of users used it and that The feature was being exploited by bots and scammers, becoming a problem of moderation and security.
As a replacement, the platform works on nearby businesses, a section geared toward verified businesses that will be able to display catalogs and accept payments, maintaining some local utility without exposing individual users to public listings. At the same time, Telegram has updated its FAQ to strengthen reporting channels content and improve moderation.
This turnaround comes in a turbulent context for the company, marked by the arrest of Pavel Durov in France and a declared commitment to toughen the fight against abuse. Although this episode is not directly related to People Nearby, it coincided with policy and product adjustments seeking to reduce vectors of harassment and vulnerability linked to the platform.
Does it keep appearing in your app? What to do and how to interpret it
The withdrawal of functions on large-scale platforms It is usually gradualIf you still see the People Nearby section on your device, apply the recommendations above to turn off your visibility as soon as possibleIf it's no longer showing up, it doesn't mean other location features are gone—you'll want to check your permissions and privacy settings as well.
In practice, the most reliable indicator has always been the button "Hide me" in redIf you see it, you're visible. When you tap it, your status changes and the button on the screen changes to "Make me visible." That's confirmation that you do not share proximity with third parties.
People nearby vs. private location features
It is important to distinguish between People nearby and share location with contacts. Telegram allows you to send your live location to a contact or group for a specified time, a useful private feature for to remain in motion or to coordinateIt even offers proximity alerts between contacts, which notify you when someone is nearby.
These private utilities they don't expose you on public lists. In contrast, People Nearby made anyone who chose to appear within a rough radius visible, thereby opening the door to being tracked by curious onlookers or automated tools that consolidate data on a large scale.
Good practices to minimize your footprint
Beyond whether or not to activate People Nearby, there are measures that They greatly reinforce your privacy On Telegram: Limit who can see your profile picture to only your contacts; hide your number from everyone except in certain circumstances; and check the permissions frequently that you have granted to the app on your operating system.
We also recommend restrict messages from strangers In Privacy Settings, disable automatic downloading of files from suspicious sources and always keep Telegram updated to benefit from the patches security and server changes that block abuse.
What we learned from the CCTV case
The CCTV project does not invent new data: automates what a user would see if it were visible in People Nearby. The difference is the scale and global reach. Its user flow is simple: enter geographic coordinates and You receive a list of visible users around that point, with its approximate distance, username and photo if it is public.
That there is no direct search by username does not make it harmlessIn high-density cities, knowing a relatively tight distance and having visual references can narrow down the location. Therefore, if the feature still appears in the app, it is best to keep visibility disabled and avoid granting location permissions unless they are essential and temporary.
Quick questions to clear up doubts
Is it active by default? No: According to Telegram, visibility is disabled by default and is only enabled if you explicitly agree and tap to make yourself visible. Still, it's worth checking in case you accidentally tap one day.
Can CCTV find me by my alias? No, it doesn't search by @user; works with coordinates as input and returns the visible profiles around.
Does the API give my exact location? Telegram assures that no, that it applies a displacement of about 800 metersThe CCTV author, on the other hand, speaks of accuracy of 50 to 100 meters with his method.
Has People Nearby disappeared forever? Telegram is removing it from the server side due to low usage and abuse by bots and scammers. If you still see it, disable it; if it no longer appears, focus on managing permissions and using private location features between contacts.
Detailed steps to check your status and exit People Nearby
Check status on Android:
- Open Telegram and tap the menu button (three lines) in the top left.
- Go to People Nearby.
- If you see the red "Hide Me" button, it means you are visible. Tap it to exit and stop sharing.
- If you see “Make me visible” or “Allow access,” you are already hidden and safe.
Check status on iPhone:
- Open Telegram.
- Go to the Contacts tab.
- Go to Find people nearby.
- If you see "Make me visible" or "Allow access," you are not sharing your proximity. If "Hide me" appears, turn it off. to stop being visible.
Extra tipIf you don't need location features, go to System Settings (Android or iOS) and revoke Telegram's location permission. This way you avoid accidental activations and you close the door to exposure by proximity even further.
Context and evolution: Why is it retiring and what comes next?
Telegram recognizes that People nearby had legitimate uses to discover people or groups around you, but abuse by malicious actors and the low usage rate (less than 0,1%) have weighed more heavily in the balance. In parallel with the decline of this function, the platform is promoting a stricter focus on moderation and reporting options, as well as setting up Nearby Businesses to channel local interactions with verified businesses and integrated payments.
This case also reminds us that, in mass messaging apps, any function that display proximity signals It can become a source of data for trackers. Even if there are margins of displacement, neither the perception of security nor the statistics are of much use. when information is combined from various sources.
If you used People Nearby to socialize, there are safer alternatives today: share private locations with your contacts when needed, use regulated local groups and channels and check who you're talking to before opening messages from strangers. Keep your photo and nickname under control and know how to delete contacts still the best first line of defense.
Latest data to know
With all this panorama, you have the upper hand checking your status with People Nearby (if you still see them), turning off visibility, and adjusting location permissions as needed; at the same time, it's helpful to understand how tools like CCTV escalate seemingly harmless data and why the feature's retirement aims to strengthen security and curb abuse, while encouraging more controlled local use through Nearby Businesses.
Preventing proximity tracking on Telegram is in your hands. If you check the People Nearby section, make sure it says "Make me visible" instead of "Hide me", revoke location permissions when you don't need them, and adjust your profile picture, number, and who can talk to you.
Between the precision margins claimed by Telegram and the capabilities claimed by CCTV, the key is to minimize exposure: disable visibility, limit permissions, and always rely on private location features between contacts when truly necessary. Share this tutorial and more users will know how to disable the People Nearby feature in Telegram..