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If you are looking for People Nearby in Telegram, you will not find it in the current consumer app. Telegram removed the feature, so menus such as Contacts → Add People Nearby are outdated instructions rather than a hidden setting.
The removal was recorded in Telegram’s official bug tracker, which now says: “This feature has been removed.” Telegram cited abuse involving bots and scammers and said the feature was replaced by Businesses Nearby.
Can you still find nearby people on Telegram?
No—not through the current Telegram Android, iPhone, Desktop, or web app. There is no current consumer interface for browsing Telegram users by physical location.
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| Claim | Current status |
|---|---|
| Contacts → Add People Nearby | Former menu path; it no longer provides the feature |
| Enable location permission | Does not restore People Nearby |
| Search by country or distance | Not available in the consumer app |
| People Nearby API method | Still documented for API clients, but not exposed as a normal app feature |
| Businesses Nearby | Telegram’s replacement for legitimate nearby businesses |
Why the old instructions no longer work
Telegram introduced the original feature in 2019. At that time, users could open the nearby section to see other Telegram users who also had that section open. The feature also showed location-based groups, then referred to as Groups Nearby.
Those older instructions commonly said to open Contacts and choose Add People Nearby. They also implied that enabling Telegram’s location permission would make the list appear. Neither instruction applies to the current app. The location-permission message still appears in Telegram’s translation database, but it is legacy text and conflicts with Telegram’s later removal notice.
A blank or missing section is therefore not normally caused by:
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- your GPS signal;
- your country or region;
- an Android or iPhone location setting;
- Telegram’s cache;
- the other person being too far away; or
- a temporary outage.
Reinstalling Telegram or granting location access will not bring back a feature that has been removed.
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What replaced People Nearby?
Telegram announced Businesses Nearby as the replacement. It is intended for legitimate businesses that want to advertise a location, not for browsing ordinary Telegram users in your area.
The replacement does not recreate the old person-to-person discovery workflow. If you are trying to contact a nearby café, shop, or other business, look for Telegram’s business-related listings where they are available. If you are trying to meet ordinary users nearby, Telegram currently provides no equivalent consumer search.
Is there a command for finding nearby Telegram users?
No. Telegram does not provide a slash command that you can type into a chat to search for nearby users. Commands such as /nearby are not an official solution.
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Telegram’s technical documentation does contain an API method named contacts.getLocated:
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contacts.getLocated#d348bc44 flags:# background:flags.1?true geo_point:InputGeoPoint self_expires:flags.0?int = UpdatesThis is an API method for software developers and API clients, not a chat command and not a menu available to normal Telegram users. Its continued presence in Telegram’s technical documentation should not be mistaken for proof that People Nearby still exists in the official mobile or desktop app.
Important API limitations and privacy details
Developers using Telegram’s API can request nearby users and geogroups with a current geographic point. Telegram’s API documentation describes two different behaviors:
- If the client supplies the current
geo_pointbut omitsself_expires, it can request nearby results without publishing the caller’s location. - If the client supplies a nonzero
self_expiresvalue, the caller’s location is advertised for that period.
Telegram documents 0 as keeping the current location private and 0x7fffffff as disabling expiry. Publishing a location may also require a profile picture and compatible profile-photo privacy settings. The API can return errors including:
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These details matter to developers building an API client. They are not a supported workaround for restoring the removed app screen, and third-party tools that request your Telegram login code or session data should be treated with extreme caution.
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Practical alternatives for meeting people on Telegram
Telegram no longer offers automatic nearby-person discovery, but you can still find communities through intentional, public channels:
- Ask for a public group link. Local clubs, events, universities, gaming groups, and neighborhood communities often share invite links on their websites or social profiles.
- Search for public channels by topic. Use Telegram’s search for a named event, organization, hobby, or city. Results depend on what owners have made public and how they named the channel.
- Use event organizers’ official links. Check the organizer’s website or verified social account rather than trusting an unsolicited invite.
- Share your username instead of your phone number. A Telegram username lets people contact you without exposing your number in the initial exchange, subject to your privacy settings.
- Review privacy controls before joining local groups. Check who can see your phone number, add you to groups, call you, and forward messages from your account under Settings → Privacy and Security.
Bottom line
There is no current way to find ordinary nearby people through Telegram’s consumer app. The old Add People Nearby menu was removed after abuse by bots and scammers. Location permissions, cache-clearing, country changes, and chat commands will not restore it.
Use public groups, event links, and usernames if you want to connect with people in a particular area. For developers, Telegram’s API still documents nearby-location methods, but that technical interface is separate from the discontinued People Nearby feature and carries significant location and account-privacy considerations.
Sources: Telegram’s official bug tracker, Telegram’s 2019 feature announcement, Telegram API method documentation, and Telegram’s nearby API documentation.
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FAQ
Is People Nearby still available on Telegram?
No. Telegram removed People Nearby from the consumer app. The old Contacts → Add People Nearby instructions describe the former feature.
Why can’t I see People Nearby in Telegram?
The section is missing because Telegram removed the feature, not normally because of GPS, location permissions, country restrictions, or a cache problem.
Will enabling location permission restore People Nearby?
No. Telegram still has some legacy location-permission text in its translation database, but granting permission does not restore the removed feature.
What is Businesses Nearby in Telegram?
Businesses Nearby is Telegram’s replacement for People Nearby. It is intended to support legitimate businesses with locations, not to let users browse ordinary nearby Telegram accounts.
Can I use a Telegram bot or slash command to find nearby users?
No official slash command provides this function. Telegram’s contacts.getLocated method is an API method for developers, not a command that can be typed into a normal chat.
Did Telegram’s old feature show nearby groups too?
Yes. The original feature also listed location-based groups, historically called Groups Nearby. That workflow is no longer available in the current consumer app.
The Bottom Line
People Nearby has been removed from Telegram. There is no current app menu, location setting, or slash command that restores it. To find local communities, use public groups and official event links; treat third-party tools requesting Telegram login or session information as a security risk.
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