Telegram account limited?

Updated 21 October 2026

Why acting early matters: Telegram's app says a frozen account will be deleted unless you appeal through @SpamBot before the date it shows. Telegram's pages name no other time limit. The longer an account is down, the more followers, customers and conversations move on. See what is at stake

If Telegram says you can only send messages to mutual contacts, your account has a spam limit. You can still message people who saved your number and reply to anyone who writes first. Open @SpamBot to see the details and, if you think it's wrong, appeal there. In the EU, Telegram must also explain the limit.

The messages you may see

Telegram's apps use short wordings:

• "Sorry, you can only send messages to mutual contacts at the moment."
• "Sorry, you can only add mutual contacts to groups at the moment."
• "Sorry, you are currently restricted from posting to public groups."
• "Unfortunately, you are banned from participating in public groups."

The first two are the classic spam limit. The last two are about public groups. That difference matters for your rights below.

Why it happens

Telegram's spam FAQ says that when people report your messages and moderators agree, the account becomes limited for a time. Typical triggers:

• Writing to many people who don't have your number.
• Adding people to groups they didn't ask to join.
• Sharing the same link or offer again and again.
• A new number with a past. Telegram says some numbers trigger an overly harsh response, because of what a previous owner did, or because they are virtual or VoIP numbers.

How long it lasts

Telegram's spam FAQ says a first limit most likely lasts a few days or so. Repeated offences mean longer limits, and if you keep writing unwanted messages to strangers, you may lose that ability for good. It also says it can't lift a limit early on request. Its DSA page adds that some restrictions lift by themselves.

How to appeal through @SpamBot

1. Search for @SpamBot and check the name carefully. Fake bots with similar names exist.
2. Start the bot. It tells you whether your account is limited.
3. If you think the limit is wrong, say so. Be brief: what you use Telegram for, who you wrote to, and why it wasn't spam. If you have a recycled or VoIP number, say that.
4. Screenshot the bot's answers with the date.

Don't send the same request over and over.

What EU law adds

If you live in the EU, it depends on what was limited:

• Statement of reasons (DSA Art. 17). Any restriction of your account counts. Telegram must tell you the facts, the rule, whether automated tools were used, and how to challenge it. This is your firm ground. If @SpamBot doesn't give this, ask through @EURegulation, Telegram's DSA contact point for users.
• Public groups and channels. Telegram treats these as the part of its service that may be an online platform. If you are blocked from public groups, the free internal complaint for at least six months (Art. 20) and a certified dispute body (Art. 21) clearly apply. Use the dispute body finder and ask the body first.
• Private messages only. Telegram says its service is mainly private messaging, and its DSA reports do not count private chats as an online platform. For a limit that only stops chats with strangers, Art. 20 and 21 may not apply. Use Art. 17 and @SpamBot.
• Your data (GDPR Art. 15). A free copy, answered within one month, which can show what Telegram recorded.

Outside the EU, @SpamBot is your route.

While you are limited

• Don't make a second account to reach the same people. That looks like evading the limit.
• Don't buy "unlimit" services or numbers from sellers. They are scams.
• Ask people you need to reach to message you first. Telegram says you can always reply.

If the limit turns into a freeze, read Telegram account suspended. If you think it hit you by mistake, see banned by mistake on Telegram. More on the Telegram hub.