# Telegram FAQ — check semantics and online presence

## Metadata

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Institute | Molodetz Institute — Research & Retrieval Division |
| Subject | tui-framework-design |
| Document type | Source Dossier |
| Tier | 1 |
| Source title | Telegram FAQ |
| Source URL | https://telegram.org/faq |
| Source publisher / author | Telegram |
| Source type | vendor docs |
| Source date (published) | Unknown — not stated |
| Date researched | 2026-10-11 |
| Researched by | tai (agent), model: Muse Spark, on behalf of retoor |
| Research method | direct page fetch |
| Confidence | High |
| Status | Active |

## Summary

The official statement of Telegram's delivery-check semantics: one check means the message reached Telegram's cloud (and the recipient was notified if allowed), two checks mean it was read — there is deliberately no delivered-to-device state because of multi-device sync. Also the source for the online-presence grace rule.

## Key findings

- One check mark: the message was sent to the Telegram cloud and the recipient was notified if notifications are allowed.
- Two check marks: the message was read by the recipient (checks then render blue on the sender's side).
- There is no delivered-to-device state: with multi-device sync, cloud receipt is the only meaningful intermediate state.
- A user shows as online for roughly 30 seconds after sending, reading, or typing activity, regardless of privacy settings.

## Pros / strengths

- Official and unambiguous on the exact question it answers; kills any "sent vs delivered" guessing.
- The multi-device rationale explains why the state machine is clock/one-check/two-checks and nothing else.

## Cons / limitations / caveats

- FAQ-level brevity: states the semantics but gives no client rendering detail (glyphs, colors, placement).
- Only the check/presence subset of the page was synthesized; the rest of the FAQ was not mined for this subject.

## Relevance to tai

Settles the per-message status vocabulary tai's transcript rows should implement: sending clock, single check, blue double check, and no delivered state to ever design for.

## Changelog

| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| 2026-10-11 | Initial dossier created. |