Send Verification Codes to Users Using Telegram API

Deliver secure, instant, and low-cost verification codes with the Telegram API. Learn how to authenticate your users efficiently without the high costs and delays of traditional SMS.

Why Businesses Are Switching to Telegram for User Verification

Verification codes help protect user accounts, confirm sign-ups, and enable secure login flows. For years, SMS was the go-to solution. However, SMS comes with several drawbacks — slow delivery, high global costs, and serious vulnerabilities like SIM swap fraud.

The Telegram API, specifically through the Telegram Gateway, provides a faster and more secure alternative. It allows businesses to send verification codes directly to users through Telegram’s encrypted platform for as little as $0.01 per message.

Here’s what you’ll learn in this guide:

• How Telegram API verification works
• The benefits of Telegram over SMS
• Steps to send your first verification code
• Developer tips for testing and tracking success

How Telegram API Verification Works

Here’s what you’ll learn in this section: how Telegram’s Gateway API delivers verification codes quickly and securely.

What It Is

Telegram Gateway is Telegram’s official Verification Platform. It allows any service or app to send authentication or one-time passwords (OTPs) directly through Telegram chats instead of relying on SMS. Messages are transmitted over Telegram’s encrypted infrastructure, ensuring privacy and reliability.

How It Works

1. User Opt-In The user must share their phone number and agree to receive messages through Telegram.
2. API Authentication The business uses an API token obtained from the Telegram Gateway dashboard to authenticate requests.
3. Code Delivery The API sends a verification message to the user’s Telegram account using the sendVerificationMessage method.
4. Confirmation The user enters the code, and the business verifies it using checkVerificationStatus.

Every step is logged in Telegram’s secure infrastructure, ensuring traceable and verifiable delivery.

Why Use Telegram Instead of SMS

Telegram verification codes outperform SMS in cost, speed, and security. Let’s break it down.

Lower Cost

• Telegram verification messages cost $0.01 per code.
• SMS verification can cost up to 50 times more, depending on the region.
• Automatic refunds for undelivered messages mean you only pay for successful deliveries.

Instant Delivery

• Telegram messages are delivered instantly through the internet.
• SMS can take several minutes to arrive, especially in remote or congested areas.

Improved Security

• Telegram messages are encrypted end to end.
• SMS messages are unencrypted and easily intercepted.
• Telegram eliminates the risk of SIM swaps, spoofing, and carrier manipulation.

Global Reach

• Works anywhere Telegram is available, regardless of network provider or country.
• Users only need an internet connection to receive messages on mobile or desktop.

Steps to Send Verification Codes with Telegram API

This section shows you how to set up your Telegram Gateway account and send your first verification code.

Step 1: Create a Gateway Account

Visit the Telegram Gateway Platform and log in using your Telegram phone number. Confirm your login in Telegram. If it’s your first time, provide your business details when prompted.

You can send free test messages to your own Telegram account for practice.

Step 2: Fund Your Account

To send messages to users, add funds through Fragment, Telegram’s official payment platform. Go to your dashboard and click “Add Funds on Fragment.”

Step 3: Get Your API Token

In your Telegram Gateway account settings, click “Copy Token.” This token is required for all API calls. You can secure your token by limiting access to specific IP addresses.

Step 4: Send a Verification Code

Use the sendVerificationMessage endpoint to deliver a code.

Example in Python:

import requests

BASE_URL = 'https://gatewayapi.telegram.org/'
TOKEN = 'YOUR_API_TOKEN'
PHONE = '+15551234567'
HEADERS = {'Authorization': f'Bearer {TOKEN}', 'Content-Type': 'application/json'}

data = {
    'phone_number': PHONE,
    'code_length': 6,
    'ttl': 60,  # 1 minute
    'callback_url': 'https://yourapp.com/webhook'
}

response = requests.post(BASE_URL + 'sendVerificationMessage', headers=HEADERS, json=data)
print(response.json())

If the user cannot receive Telegram messages, you will not be charged.

Step 5: Verify User Input

Once the user enters the code, confirm it using the checkVerificationStatus method.

Example:

data = {'request_id': 'ID_FROM_PREVIOUS_RESPONSE', 'code': '123456'}
verify = requests.post(BASE_URL + 'checkVerificationStatus', headers=HEADERS, json=data)
print(verify.json())

If status is “code_valid”, the user is authenticated successfully.

Tips for Developers Using Telegram Gateway

To make the most of Telegram verification, follow these best practices:

• Use checkSendAbility before sending to confirm the user can receive Telegram messages.
• Set a short TTL (1–5 minutes) to enhance security.
• Monitor API reports via your callback_url to track delivery status.
• Provide a fallback option like email verification for users not on Telegram.
• Log every request to maintain transparency and track user verification success.

Why Telegram Verification Is the Smarter Choice

Using the Telegram API for user verification provides the same functionality as SMS at a fraction of the cost, with significantly better delivery rates and security. It is reliable for developers, trusted by businesses, and preferred by users.

You can integrate it into your app within minutes, test for free on your own account, and pay only when codes are successfully delivered.

Next Steps

• Create your Telegram Gateway account
• Get your API token and send your first test verification code
• Track delivery reports and optimize your verification flow

Start verifying your users smarter, faster, and more affordably using the Telegram API today.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)