[hdjjhhvvhga]

Many apps will refuse to work if you don't allow access to your contacts, so people just give in and allow it.

Google is the biggest abuser in this area just grabbing all your contacts and linking them to your Google account once you add any Google account (like Gmail or Youtube) to your Android device.

[user-the-name]

I do not think you are allowed on the Apple App Store if you do that.

[capableweb]

Maybe not for smaller apps but apps with large user bases are under different rules than the rest.

[user-the-name]

I work for a fairly large app and that certainly is not the case for us.

[alisonkisk]

What are you talking about?

[flemhans]

It's extremely annoying to add a number to Telegram without adding it as a contact first, and allowing Telegram access to the contact list.

[noxer]

Whats the point of that? You dont need to exchange phone numbers for telegram just the @username and only one side needs to know the others username.

And once you have a chat with someone both can share their own contact directly in the chat with 2 clicks and add it with 2 clicks as well.

(which is still rather useless because there is no real benefit from adding someone as contact. But I guess if you want to store number then this is easy)

[b3morales]

You're thinking like a technically enlightened person -- if not an engineer -- who prioritizes efficiency and control.

You're not thinking like a "normie" goal-oriented user, who doesn't care about understanding the system, and for whom the shortest path to achieving their goal generally passes through saying "sure, whatever" to any requests the app makes.

[noxer]

Maybe read the message I replied to before making such a nonsensical reply that has absolute nothing to do with what I asked the person above.

[flemhans]

I can't figure out how to message someone with their @username.

I press "New Message" and get these options: "New Group", "New Contact", "New Channel".

If I press "New Contact" it asks for permission to access my contacts. If I refuse, it goes back to the three options mentioned above.

I've tried to find it for years, and I just have the other person message me first.

[noxer]

You put the @username (the @ is optional) in the search field then click on the user and send a message. Once a message is send the chat will obviously stay in the chat list. Same for public groups/channels.

Alternatively you can share/click a link with the format t.me/username to skip the search part.