Send OTP codes without SMS
SMS verification is expensive, unevenly delivered and increasingly targeted by fraud. For audiences that already use Telegram, moving codes onto a chat channel removes the carrier from the loop entirely.
The problems with SMS
Most teams only notice these once verification volume grows.
- Per-message pricing that varies wildly by destination country
- Carrier filtering and silent drops that look like user error
- SMS pumping fraud inflating spend on unused routes
- SIM-swap attacks that defeat the factor entirely
What a chat channel changes
Delivery goes over the internet from your own bot, so cost per code is effectively zero and the message renders with your bot name and avatar.
curl -X POST https://teleauth.run.place/api/public/v1/otp/send \
-H "x-api-key: $TELEAUTH_API_KEY" \
-H "content-type: application/json" \
-d '{ "username": "ada_lovelace" }'A realistic rollout
Offer Telegram as the preferred channel and keep SMS as fallback for users without it. Most teams see the majority of traffic move over within a few release cycles while total spend drops.
Common questions
What if my users don't have Telegram?
Keep a fallback channel. TeleAuth handles the Telegram path; your app decides which channel to offer each user.
Are there per-message charges?
Telegram does not charge for bot messages. Your cost is your TeleAuth plan, not per code.
Related guides
More ways to use Telegram for authentication and verification.
Telegram OTP API
Send and verify one-time passwords through Telegram with two REST calls. Project API keys, 5-minute code expiry, signed webhooks and delivery logs.
Telegram two-factor authentication
Add Telegram-based 2FA to your app: send a one-time code after the password step, verify it server-side, and log every attempt.
Telegram username verification
Verify Telegram usernames with one-time codes delivered by your own bot. No phone number, no SMS, no contact sharing.
Try send otp without sms with TeleAuth
Create a project, connect your Telegram bot, and send your first OTP in minutes.
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