Emily Bennett
How To Turn Off Calls on Telegram: A Complete Guide
Dealing with constant calls on Telegram can be pretty annoying, especially when you’re just trying to focus or avoid interruptions. Often, users want to shut off voice and video calls quickly, without messing with their entire chat privacy. Maybe there are some contacts you’d rather block specifically, or just want to mute call notifications without disabling everything. This guide hopefully covers those needs — kinda frustrating how Telegram’s settings can be scattered across menus, but once you get the hang of it, it’s not so bad. Plus, there are some tricks to block certain contacts or control notifications, so you don’t get surprised every time someone tries to call.
How to Disable Calls on Telegram
Accessing Telegram Settings
First, gotta open the app. On mobile, tap on the Menu (those three horizontal lines up top) or go straight to Settings from the side menu if it’s there. On desktop, click on the gear icon labeled Settings in the lower-left corner or from the top menu bar. It sounds simple, but sometimes the menu isn’t super intuitive, especially if you’re switching between mobile and desktop all the time.
Jump into Privacy and Security
Once inside the settings, look for Privacy and Security. On mobile, it’s usually right there in the menu; on desktop, scroll a bit down until you see it. This is where Telegram keeps most of its privacy controls — calls, last seen, profile info, etc. Why it’s important? Because controlling calls here helps you avoid accidental ringing or those awkward calls you didn’t want to pick up.
Disable Incoming Calls
This is the big one. Inside Privacy and Security, find the Calls option (sometimes under Who can call me), and then change the setting to Nobody. Voilà, no one can call you anymore. This easily blocks all incoming calls — might be overkill sometimes, but hey, peace and quiet! On some setups, this change doesn’t take effect immediately; a quick restart of the app or device often helps. Weird how Telegram’s options aren’t entirely consistent across updates, but this method usually works.
Stop Specific Contacts from Calling
If you don’t want to go full blackout but just block certain people, go back into Privacy and Security and see if there’s an option to Block Users. Just tap on that, then pick who you want to prevent from calling or messaging. You’ll still see them in your contact list, but they can’t get through with calls or messages anymore. This way, you keep your social circle but cut out disturbances from specific folks.
Manage Call Notifications
Sometimes, you just want to silence the alerts without disabling calls altogether. Head over to Notifications and Sounds (or similar, depending on your app version). From here, you can mute Call notifications, set custom ringtones, or turn off sound altogether. It’s kind of good for those moments when you don’t want to miss important messages but don’t want your phone ringing every time someone breathes hard.
Note about Mobile & Desktop Settings
The weird part? The options aren’t in exactly the same places on mobile versus desktop. On mobile, it’s more streamlined, but a bit limited. Desktop can show more options at once, but some features (like in-call controls) may only be on mobile. Just keep that in mind when toggling things around. Finding this stuff can feel like digging through menus, but once you get used to it, toggling call settings is pretty quick.
Extra Tips & Troubleshooting
Sometimes, calls still slip through even after adjusting settings. Double-check your blocked contacts list or review your privacy options. Also, make sure you aren’t logged into multiple devices where different settings might override each other. If calls come through via notifications but you still see that ringing icon, consider activating the Do Not Disturb mode on your device — kind of a last-resort to ensure no distractions. And of course, keep Telegram updated; sometimes these options change or improve in newer versions.
Wrap-up
Managing calls on Telegram isn’t perfect — the settings are easy to miss, and Android vs. iOS or desktop differences make it a bit confusing — but once reminders are made, it’s a lot easier to maintain peace. Disabling calls altogether, blocking certain contacts, or just muting notifications can make a huge difference. Just remember, it might take a little tinkering, but you’ll get there. And if all else fails, trying some of the device-level DND tricks or deleting the app and reinstalling sometimes resets things in your favor.
Summary
- Open Settings in Telegram, find Privacy and Security
- Switch Calls to Nobody to block all incoming calls
- Block specific contacts if needed via Block Users
- Adjust notifications under Notifications and Sounds
- Remember differences between mobile and desktop options
- Check your device’s DND mode if calls still bother you
Fingers crossed this helps
Worked for some friends, worked for me — hopefully this shaves off a few hours for someone else. Telegram’s call settings can be stubborn, but patience and a little poking around usually do the trick.