Getting started
Using the app
From signing up to chats, groups, photos, bots and links — a guide for first-time users of the Pabal app.
Right now there is one Pabal app: the macOS desktop app (Pabal.app). It is based on the official Telegram Desktop and adapted to the Pabal server, so if you've used Telegram, the screens will feel familiar. You get the app from whoever runs your server. Windows, Linux and mobile apps are on their way.
Signing up and signing in
- Enter your phone number. Choose your country, type in your number and click Next.
- Get your code. Depending on how the server is run, it arrives by text message (SMS), by email after the app asks for your email address, or directly from the operator.
- Enter the code. If the account already exists, you're signed in right away; if the number is new, the app asks for your name. Once you enter it, you're signed up.
| What the app says | What it means and what to do |
|---|---|
| Invalid phone number | Check the number again. You also see this while the server isn't accepting new sign-ups. |
| Phone number banned | The operator has blocked this number. Contact the operator. |
| Too many attempts | You asked for a code for the same number too often. Wait as long as the app tells you, then try again (by default: 60 seconds apart, 10 times a day). |
| Invalid code | Enter it again. After several wrong tries (5 by default) the code is locked and you start again from entering your number. |
| Code expired | A code is valid for only 5 minutes by default. Enter your number again to get a new code. |
Anyone who knows the code can sign in to your account. Operators and bots will never ask you for your code.
Setting up your profile
- Name and bio: change them under Settings → My Account.
- Username: lets other people find you without your phone number. Once you set one, you can also be opened with the link
pabal.me/username. - Profile photo: upload a photo in Settings and it shows in chat lists and on your profile. Earlier photos stay in your photo list, where you can pick them again or delete them.
Chatting
- Finding people: type the other person's username into the search box at the top left. You can also find people by numbers saved in your contacts.
- Messages: a message you send arrives on all of the other person's devices at once. You can edit (right-click → Edit) or delete messages you've sent, and the change shows on the other person's screen too.
- Photos: drag and drop a photo, or send it with the paperclip button. Documents, videos and voice messages can't be sent yet.
- Multiple devices: you can sign in to the same account on several computers. Messages sent from one device appear on the others, and a device that was off catches up on missed conversations when you switch it on.
Groups
- Menu at the top left → New Group.
- Pick the members (search by username), give the group a name, and you're done.
- Later, in the group info, you can add or remove members and rename the group. Joining through an invite link (
pabal.me/+…) isn't ready yet, so please add members directly from the group info.
You can add bots to a group as members too. A bot in a group can receive the group's messages and reply.
Using bots
A bot is an account controlled by a program. Search for the bot's username (it ends in bot), open it and click Start. When you press a button the bot sent, the bot replies or changes its message.
If you want to make your own bot, search for @BotFather and send /newbot. The details are in Build a bot.
Opening links
When you open a pabal.me/username link in a browser, an "Open in the app" page appears. Click the button and the Pabal app opens the chat with that person or bot. If you don't have the app, follow the instructions on the page to get it first. (Group invite links, pabal.me/+…, open the app too, but joining a group through a link isn't ready yet.)
Keeping your account safe
- Don't tell anyone your code.
- If you've lost your computer, or think you're signed in on a device you don't recognize, ask the operator to sign out all devices. The operator can sign out every device at once from the admin page.
- Two-step verification (cloud password) isn't supported yet.
What doesn't work yet
Channels and supergroups, joining groups through invite links, documents, videos and audio files, voice and video calls, secret chats, formatting such as bold and italic, mobile apps and push notifications. Even if you see a button for these in the app, the server doesn't accept them yet, so you may get an error. The full list is in About Pabal.