Telegram SMS code not arriving — how to log in to TG

Short answer. In TG, the login code usually doesn't come by SMS. Telegram sends it as a message to the "Telegram" chat on another device where your account is already open, or to your login email. The SMS may never arrive — there's no point waiting for it. Below, step by step: how to tell where the code went and how to find it.

Where did Telegram send the code?

The TG screen tells you right after you enter your phone number. Look at the title:

• "Check your Telegram messages" — the code went to Telegram on your other device. How to find it is in the next section.
• "Check Your Email" — the code went to your login email. See the email section.
• "Enter code" with a line about an SMS — the code was sent by SMS. Give it a couple of minutes.

How do I find the code in Telegram on another device?

Telegram sends the code wherever you're already logged in to this account: another phone or tablet, a computer, a browser. Any of them works — the official Telegram app, TG or web.telegram.org.

1. Open Telegram on a device where you're already logged in to this account.

2. Find the "Telegram" chat with a blue check mark in your chat list and open it. Don't confuse it with the "Verification Codes" chat — that one holds codes from other services.

   

3. The latest message contains a five-digit code.

   

4. Go back to TG and type the code into the boxes. If your account has Two-Step Verification, TG will ask for the password next.

   

Never share this code — not with friends, not with "support". Neither TG nor Telegram ever asks for it: anyone with the code can log in to your account.

Official Telegram is on the same phone — is there a faster way?

If the official Telegram app with your account is installed on the phone where you're logging in to TG, the code screen has a "View code in Telegram" button.

1. Tap "View code in Telegram". The official Telegram app opens right on the "Telegram" chat with the code.

   

2. Remember the code, go back to TG and enter it.

Telegram opened, but the code won't load — what now?

If the official Telegram app is stuck on "Connecting..." and messages don't load, go back to TG. In some countries the code screen has one more button — "Activate Telegram for 1 min". For one minute, it lets the official Telegram app connect through TG's connection.

1. Tap "Activate Telegram for 1 min".

   

2. The official Telegram app opens and shows a "Proxy Server" window. Tap "Connect Proxy".

   

3. Wait for the code message in the "Telegram" chat. The connection lasts about a minute, so go straight back to TG and enter the code. Didn't make it in time? Tap the button again.

Once you're logged in to TG, the official Telegram app no longer needs this proxy. If it later shows "Connecting to proxy", turn it off: Settings → Data and Storage → Proxy Settings, then switch off "Use Proxy".

The code went to my email — where do I look?

If the TG screen says "Check Your Email", the code was sent to the login email linked to your account. Part of the address is shown under the title — that tells you which mailbox to open.

1. Open that mailbox and find the email from Telegram with the code. If it isn't there, check your Spam folder.
2. Enter the code from the email in TG. If the screen has a "Sign in with Google" button, typing the code from the email by hand is still the more reliable way.

No access to the email — what can I do?

Tap "Can't access this email?". If you're logged in to your account on another device, you can change the email there. If not, Telegram will offer to reset the email with an SMS code — but not right away: it shows how long you'll have to wait. In some countries an immediate reset is only available with Telegram Premium. It's safer to do the reset in the official Telegram app: TG may not receive the SMS code.

Login email — how do I check if I have one, and how do I add it?

A login email is not the recovery email of your Two-Step Verification password. Telegram sends login codes to it instead of SMS. You can't add one whenever you like: Telegram itself asks you to set it up — while logging in or with a prompt in the app. If it asks, say yes: it's one more reliable way to get your code.

To check whether you have one, open Settings → Privacy and Security in TG and look at the "Security" section. If there is a "Login Email" item, an email is linked — part of the address is shown next to it. Tap the item to change the address.

TG logged me out by itself — what should I do?

Don't delete or reinstall the app. Open TG and enter your number again: if you've logged in on this phone before, Telegram may let you in without a code or ask only for your Two-Step Verification password. After a reinstall or clearing the app's data, that's no longer possible.

Nothing helped — what else can I try?

• No device with your account and no login email. Install the official Telegram app and log in there first: it has more ways to deliver the code, including SMS and calls. Then log in to TG — the code will arrive in the official app, and the TG screen will show the "View code in Telegram" button.
• Tap "Didn't get the code?" on the TG screen. If Telegram can send the code another way — by SMS or a call — it will. If there are no other ways, you'll see a hint and a "Help" button that writes an email to Telegram Support.
• Contact Telegram Support: telegram.org/support. Only Telegram sends login codes — TG support can't send you a code or log in to your account.

If TG opens but won't connect, see the separate guide.

FAQ

Can I log in with my Two-Step Verification password without a code?

No. Telegram asks for the password after the code — it's a second layer of protection, not a replacement for the code. You'll be asked for the password without a code only when you log in again on the same phone and Telegram recognizes the device.

Can I log in with Face ID or my fingerprint?

Not in TG. In TG, Face ID and fingerprint only unlock the app if you've set a passcode lock. Logging in with a passkey doesn't work in TG for phones.

Why isn't the SMS arriving?

Most often Telegram sends the code to the app or to your email instead of SMS — see the sections above. Telegram doesn't always send SMS to unofficial apps, including TG. If you specifically need an SMS, log in to the official Telegram app first.

My number is new, but the code goes to someone else's device — why?

Most likely the number used to belong to someone else and their Telegram account is still on it, so the code goes to their devices. Try logging in through the official Telegram app: it can send the code by SMS. If that doesn't work, contact Telegram Support.

Why doesn't the code arrive when I change my number?

The code for changing your number comes by SMS or a call to the new number, and TG may not receive it. Change the number in the official Telegram app, then open TG again.

I forgot my Two-Step Verification password — what now?

On the password screen, tap "Forgot password?". If a recovery email is linked to the password, Telegram sends a code there. If not, Telegram will offer to reset the password, but only after a waiting period — it shows you how long.

My account was hacked — how do I get it back?

If you're still logged in on at least one device, open Settings → Devices, end the sessions you don't recognize, and then turn on Two-Step Verification. If you have no access on any device, contact Telegram Support. Never share the codes from the "Telegram" chat.