Move over WhatsApp, it’s a new year and it’s time for new things! A new messenger app has been creeping its way to the top, and 2016 might just be its year. Allow us to introduce you to Telegram.

Telegram does all WhatsApp does, only so much more, so much better and with a name that actually makes sense. The features on this app are unlike any other messenger app currently on the market. One of these features includes the ability to sync messages across all your devices using the cloud. This means that you can start a conversation on your phone and continue it on your laptop or tablet. Because of this Telegram has included a passcode lock option that allows users to place a password on the app so it is secured on all devices.

Telegram also boasts that it is way faster than WhatsApp and with the features this app has, being fast is definitely a plus. The Telegram app has the ability to send large files of any type to one person of multiple people using the group chat or broadcast options. Another Telegram feature that benefits from the app being fast is the option it has to search online for gifs to use during chats ; Telegram clearly gets that sometimes words and emojis just aren’t enough.

The features in Telegram’s group chat option are another thing that will send WhatsApp packing. We all know group chats can become extremely confusing and frustrating, but with the implementation of features such as replies, mentions and hashtags, Telegram has made it so much easier. In the case of replies, users in a group chat are able to reply to a specific message within the group chat and have the person being replied to receive a notification. Mentions and hashtags function much like they do on Twitter; mentions work by placing an @ sign in front of another user’s username and having them being alerted. Hashtags work as an organizing feature. If users hashtag a word in any chat they are able to click on that hashtag and have messages where the hashtag was mentioned before appear on the screen. 

Secret chats are also a thing in the Telegram app. These are messages that are deleted from the devices of everyone within the chat, whether it be a group or two people, after a specific time. Talk about protection of privacy. 

A photo editor is also present in the app. In it users are able to crop and edit their pictures before sending them to other users.

All these features and more, plus the fact that telegram creators says the app will forever be free certainly makes this app a good look. So go ahead and start the new year off right with this new app.