Your iPhone's strong security model further reinforces this, as apps require explicit permissions to access your contacts and notifications.
"People Nearby" Removed (Recent News): A significant development in September 2024 saw Telegram remove its "People Nearby" feature. Telegram CEO Pavel Durov cited misuse by bots and scammers as the reason. This decision underlines Telegram's commitment to eliminating functionalities that could be exploited for unsolicited user discovery, further hindering any attempts to indirectly find hidden numbers.
Why "Hidden Number Finder Bots" or Tricks are Dangerous (Especially for iPhone Users)
If you've searched Reddit or online, you might have stumbled upon claims of "Telegram hidden number finder bots" or "tricks" to bypass privacy settings. For iPhone users, these are even more perilous:
The Promise: These unofficial bots or romania whatsapp number data tools promise to reveal hidden numbers, often for free or a small fee.
The Reality: They are almost universally scams, phishing attempts, or vehicles for malware. Recent cybersecurity news (April 2025) has warned about "rogue npm packages" (JavaScript code libraries) mimicking legitimate Telegram Bot APIs that actually contain SSH backdoors. This means that interacting with or trying to run code from such "finder bots" found on GitHub or shared in shady Telegram channels can:
Compromise your device (even an iPhone, though it's harder than Android, it's not impossible).
Steal your Telegram API keys and tokens.
Gain unauthorized access to your personal data.
Potentially even compromise other accounts you access from your iPhone.
Reddit's Mixed Signals (and the Warning): While some Reddit users (e.g., on r/Telegram) might discuss these bots, often hoping to avoid installing the official Truecaller app, a strong cautionary voice emerges. Many Redditors actively warn against the severe security and privacy risks of unregulated, unauthorized third-party services.
Unreliable and Break Easily:
Any unofficial bot that does manage to scrape information likely relies on reverse-engineered or unofficial APIs.