Alternate way to receive login code on Telegram Desktop.

Adarsh
4 min readJul 1, 2021

Hello,

Recently there has been an intermittent rise in the query of people who are complaining that they don’t receive codes through SMS when they try to login on Telegram Desktop or the Web App.

The Telegram Team has said that Desktop and Web apps no more support sending login codes through SMS. Instead, anyone who tries to login on non-mobile apps will received their login code on another active Telegram session. This means that if you are already logged in to a session, you will receive code over there from Telegram in app.

The easiest way here to solve this issue is to first login into a mobile device (Android or iOS) and then log in on Desktop. The code will come in the mobile app. Now, if you don’t own your own mobile phone or its unreachable at the moment, you can ask one of your friends/family members for their mobile and then log in on Desktop/Web App.

But not all people have their trustworthy friends and family members by their side always and needs can arise suddenly. So here’s a workaround to receive the login code and also how to keep backup session.

If you are left around with a laptop and good internet connection, this method can certainly come to help; originally the idea of H. Mir. Read on to know more:

  1. Download and install BlueStacks from here. It is basically an Android emulator for Windows and Macintosh.
  2. Once installed, run it. It will take some time to do the finishing touch. Once it starts, you can login to Play Store and download Telegram. If you’d like to go with the direct version, you can find it here.
  3. After you install the app, open it. Then, enter your phone number and give relevant permissions if it asks any. You should be able to receive the code through SMS normally (if not, tap “Send code through SMS” and you shall receive one. If not, but you have two-step verification active, you should be able to request a call¹). Once you are done entering the code (and two-step verification password if you have set) and you’re successfully logged in to Telegram.
  4. Now open Telegram Desktop or Telegram Web (wherever you were trying to login) and enter your phone number. The client will say the code is sent to another Telegram app, which is none other than the one you have in BlueStacks.
  5. Go open Telegram in BlueStacks and you’ll find a message from Telegram² (verified account) which will contain your five digit login code. Copy the code and enter it in the Desktop/Web client (enter your two-step verification password, if set) and you’re logged in, as usual.

Now, talking about the backup session, you can simply keep the BlueStacks active and installed as usual. But for some reasons if you don’t want to or it lags your device, you can just open your browser and login on Telegram Web (you receive the login code in Telegram Desktop which is another active session or/and BlueStacks if you haven’t uninstalled it yet). Once you’re logged in on Web app, you don’t need to worry — if you have to login somewhere else, you get the login code in Desktop and Web app. Untill you have access to the phone number associated with the account, there’s no need to worry at all because you can simply repeat these steps again.

Thanks for reading. Hope it helped. Good day!

Notations:

¹ Delivery of login code is not always guaranteed through call even when two-step verification is turned on. It depends on the area and various other factors. But, if it’s the first account in the app, you may receive a call first and then an SMS. In case you don’t receive a code while trying from BlueStacks, I’d suggest you to find a mobile to test whether it comes over there. If still it doesn’t arrive, please ping @telegram or @smstelegram on Twitter and they’ll be able to look in your case.

² Telegram is a verified Service Notifications account in the app displayed with a verified tick beside its name, bearing a number +42777 and Service Notifications written below the name instead of last seen. If you encounter other accounts using the name Telegram sending login codes/other notifications (unless their publicly visible number is +42), it’s a scam. Please report them to the in-app Antiscam team.

--

--

Adarsh

A non-political Citizen of World. Tech & Telegram Enthusiast. Blogger. Victim of a Curious Mind & Student in the University of Life.