Dialog Spy: Catch Deleted Messages

Someone wrote something important and then deleted it. Or quietly changed the numbers in a message afterward. Dialog Spy exists for exactly those moments: it sends you a copy of a deleted message and the original of an edited one. 👁

The tool is controversial, so here is how it works and what comes with it besides convenience.

What the bot does

• Deleted messages. If your contact removes a message, you get a copy.
• Edited messages. If the text was changed, the bot sends the original.
• Timed photos and videos. It downloads attachments meant to vanish after viewing.

All copies arrive in private messages from the bot. The records sit in your chat, not your contact's.

How bots like this work at all

An ordinary bot cannot see your private chats. To receive events from a conversation, Telegram offers a mode for business accounts: you connect a bot to your profile, and it gets notified about changes in the chats you gave it access to.

Access is set in the connected bots section in Telegram and can be withdrawn any time. Do not connect the bot to chats you are not ready to show an outside service.

What to weigh before connecting

You hand the bot the contents of your dialogs. That is close to full access to your correspondence, so trust in the bot's owner is critical. ⚠️

• Connect only the chats you need. Do not open everything.
• Send the bot no passwords or codes. It should never ask for them.
• Check its status. One catalog marks the bot as closed, so verify that it works yourself.
• Revoke access in settings when you no longer need it.

Ethics and law

A copy of a message your contact tried to remove is their words sent to you. Keeping your own correspondence is not illegal, but publishing other people's messages without consent is not allowed. In most countries it can breach privacy law.

Use the tool for yourself, for example to keep an agreement from slipping away, not to watch people. 🔒

When it helps

1. A supplier changed terms and denies writing otherwise.
2. A client erased part of a message with an address or amount.
3. You need evidence in case of a dispute.

For work disputes it is sturdier to keep chats with Telegram's own tools: chat export and screenshots.

Who it suits

People who consciously want an archive of their own dialogs and understand the risks. If you are not ready to hand your correspondence to an outside service, skip it.