Telegram Messenger is by far one of the most used and secure messaging applications available worldwide. Unlike other messaging services, it has strong layers of security measures to protect its users’ privacy, and this has been the USP of Telegram. Well, with the recent arrest of Telegram’s CEO, Pavel Durov, facing multiple charges of facilitating various criminal activities on the messaging app, the application’s future seems to be quite dark. However, you are not here for this. Since you are reading this guide, it is quite obvious that one of the notorious features of Telegram, People Nearby has stopped working for you. If that’s indeed the case, stick around till the end to know why this issue occurs, and how to fix it, if that is even possible, in the first place.
Well, the People Nearby feature not working issue isn’t a new one, per se. Reports of this issue date back to 2021, and in the majority of the cases, the issue gets fixed after a while. Well, since August 30, 2024, many users have again started reporting this issue, which means it has made a comeback. So, are there any workarounds to fix it?
Also read: Xreal Air 2 pro not turning on: How to fix it
Telegram people nearby not working: How to fix it
Well, whenever an in-app feature stops working, it can be a device-specific issue, a region-specific issue, or a widespread one, spanning the whole world. As per the reports from users from various regions, we have reasons to believe that it is a widespread issue that has affected everyone who uses Telegram. The most plausible explanation for this issue is the fact that Telegram’s CEO has been arrested on account of various charges. Since the People Nearby feature is one of the most controversial features of the application, it is not surprising to see that the team behind Telegram has disabled it, although it might be temporary. But do note that this is just speculation from our side, so take this information with a pinch of salt. That said, although the chances are quite low, you can try these workarounds to check if trying these fixes the issue:
1) Enable/Disable the feature
First, open the Telegram application, and press the hamburger icon on the top left side of the screen. Now, tap the People Nearby option, and select the tap on Stop Showing Me option. After this, select the Make Myself Visible option. Now, check if the feature works.
2) Enable Location Access
The People Nearby feature in Telegram uses your phone’s location data to display other users near your area. So, to use this feature, you have to make sure that the application has permission to access your device’s location data. If not, enable location access, and then check if the issue persists.
3) Clear App Cache (Android)
For this workaround, open the Settings menu of your device, go to App Management, and select Telegram from the list of applications installed on your device. Now, go to Storage, and select Clear Cache. After this, launch the app to check if the feature works.
4) Reinstall
Finally, if nothing works, then consider reinstalling the application. A fresh installation might fix the issue, although the chances are not very high.
In addition to the given workarounds, you can also try connecting to a VPN service to check if the feature works. But do note that with VPN connected, the People Nearby feature will not provide you accurate details as your IP will be masked. So, use a VPN only to check if the issue is specific to your region only. Well, that’s all we have to share about the People Nearby Not Working Issue in Telegram. If you find this guide informative, consider visiting Android Gram daily for more such guides.
