Using Ubuntu 16.04 and want to install the official Telegram Linux app?

Don’t run off to the official website to get the official binary: there’s now a Telegram app snap package available on Ubuntu 16.04.

To install it you can search for ‘telegram’ in Ubuntu Software.

If you don’t mind mind flexing your fingers at the command line, load a new Terminal and run:

sudo snap install telegram-sergiusens

Telegram Snap App

The Telegram snap app is the exact same client as the one Telegrams distributes themselves. The only difference is this one is available to install without downloading a separate package.

The Snap has been packaged up by a Canonical employee and, in theory, is safer to use as it runs in a confined sandbox (usual X11 flaws still apply, however).

What this app is not is the Ubuntu Touch Telegram QML app maintained by Canonical for Ubuntu phone and tablet. It is the open-source Telegram desktop app created and maintained by Telegram.

This version of the app is not as fully fleshed as the native Mac OS X app the company makes, nor the Android and iOS app. But it does support most of the secure-chat service’s features, including Stickers, group chats, and profile editing.

Drawbacks

There a couple of “drawbacks” to be aware of if you plan to use the Snap versus the package from the Telegram website.

First off you won’t get Ubuntu integration with the Snap version.

At the time of writing are gaps in what Snap apps can and can’t do. The confinement currently means the Unity launcher can’t be ‘badged’ with a count for unread messages, and the indicator applet menu to quickly access the app doesn’t show.

Secondly, you can’t (again, currently) open links from Telegram in whichever browser you have set as default. This should be fixed in the future, but for now a workaround is to right-click on the link and select ‘copy link’ and then paste this in the URL/address bar of your web browser.