WhatsApp and Telegram prioritize user privacy but implement security features differently.
WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption for all messages universally, while Telegram requires users to manually initiate 'Secret Chats' for full encryption.
WhatsApp does not store message content on its servers after delivery, while Telegram stores regular chats on its cloud servers.
Telegram offers advantages in phone number privacy, message deletion control, and self-destructing messages, while WhatsApp shares user data with Meta.