Getting started

VueGram puts the Telegram groups and channels you follow on your TV, as a grid of their photos, and plays their videos on the big screen. This page takes you from nothing to a working VueGram in about ten minutes.

VueGram is unofficial

VueGram is an unofficial app built on Telegram's own library (TDLib). It is not made by, affiliated with or endorsed by Telegram.

What you need

• An Android TV or Google TV, running Android 6.0 or newer.
• A Telegram account, and Telegram on your phone (for the easiest way to log in).
• Your own Telegram API ID and API hash, from my.telegram.org. They are free; the next section shows how to get them.
• Optional: mpv-android, for the rare video the built-in player cannot decode. See the mpv fallback.

Get your API ID and hash

Every app that talks to Telegram identifies itself with an API ID and an API hash. VueGram asks you for your own the first time it starts, so your copy talks to Telegram as itself.

1. On a phone or computer, open my.telegram.org and log in with your phone number. Telegram sends the login code to your Telegram app.
2. Open API development tools.
3. If you have never done this before, fill in the short form to create an app. Any title and short name will do, for example "VueGram on my TV".
4. You now see your App api_id (a number) and App api_hash (a long string of letters and digits). Keep this page open: you will type both on the TV.

Treat them like a password

The API ID and hash belong to your Telegram account. Don't post them anywhere or share them with anyone.

Install VueGram on the TV

VueGram is installed from its GitHub releases page. Each release has two files: vuegram-<version>.apk (the app) and vuegram-<version>.apk.sha256 (its checksum). You need the .apk. Once VueGram is installed, it updates itself.

Pick whichever way suits you.

With a downloader app on the TV

1. Install a downloader app (an app that can download files from a web address) from your TV's Play Store.
2. Allow it to install apps: Android asks for this the first time, or you can turn on Install unknown apps for that app in the TV's settings (on many TVs under Settings › Apps › Security & restrictions).
3. In the downloader app, open the latest release on github.com/vuegram/vuegram/releases and download the .apk.
4. Open the downloaded file and choose Install.

With ADB from a computer

ADB is Android's developer tool. Use it if you already have it, or don't mind setting it up.

1. On the TV, turn on Developer options: open Settings › Device Preferences › About (the names differ a little between TVs) and press OK on Build seven times.

2. In Developer options, turn on USB debugging, or Network debugging if your TV has it.

3. On the computer, download the .apk from the releases page, then connect and install. Use your TV's IP address in place of 192.168.1.50:

   adb connect 192.168.1.50:5555
   adb install vuegram-<version>.apk

   The TV may ask you to allow the connection the first time; accept it on the TV.

4. When you are done, turn debugging off again in Developer options.

First start

1. Open VueGram from the TV's app list.

2. On Connect Telegram, enter your Telegram API ID and Telegram API Hash and choose Save API keys.

   Typing long codes

   If you can type on your TV from a phone (the Google TV app on a phone can), the API hash is much quicker to enter that way.

3. Log in. The quickest way is the QR code: see Logging in.

Your groups and channels appear in the library. Continue with Using VueGram.