What a spam block is
A spam block is a limit Telegram puts on an account after complaints. Recipients tap "Report spam", a Telegram moderator reviews the report, and for a while the account can no longer message people who haven't saved its number as a contact.
The official spam FAQ makes one point clear: the content of the message barely matters. If recipients find it unwelcome, even a short "hello" can get you limited. Group admins can report too. Adding people to groups and channels they didn't ask to join counts as the same violation.
What still works while you're limited:
- messaging people who have your number in their contacts;
- replying to anyone who messaged you first;
- reading the channels and groups you're already in.
How to check for a limit with @SpamBot
The only official way to learn your status is @SpamBot. It's Telegram's own service bot with a verification badge, shown in the app as Spam Info Bot.
- Open @SpamBot from the account you want to check.
- Tap "Start" or send
/start. - Read the reply: the bot either says there are no limits or gives the date your account is limited until.
If the reply has no date, the limit is permanent or Telegram isn't ready to name a term. The API exposes no other status signal: third-party apps learn it the same way, by asking @SpamBot.
How long a spam block lasts
Telegram doesn't publish a table of durations. The official FAQ says only three things:
- a first limit usually lifts on its own after a few days;
- repeat violations bring longer terms;
- after many reports, the limit can become permanent.
You can't ask for it to be lifted early: the FAQ answers that question with one word — impossible. Figures like "one day to a month" you'll see in articles are user observations, not rules.
Why a brand-new account is limited
Sometimes an account that hasn't sent anything is already limited. Telegram gives two reasons:
- the number belonged to someone else before, and the reports piled up on it;
- the number is virtual (VoIP) — anti-spam checks these more strictly.
In both cases Telegram suggests writing to @SpamBot and explaining. Registering a new account on the same number won't help: the limit is tied to the number.
Frozen account: how it differs from a spam block
Freezing is a harsher measure. A spam block only takes away messaging strangers, while a frozen account goes read-only: it can't send, post, or join chats.
According to the API documentation, Telegram freezes accounts for serious violations of its terms, while the FAQ names user reports as the cause. If the appeal isn't accepted, the account is deleted after a while. Telegram tells the account the exact date — clients receive it in the freeze_until_date field. How many days you get to appeal in general isn't stated officially.
| Spam block | Frozen | |
|---|---|---|
| Message contacts | yes | no |
| Message strangers | no | no |
| Read channels and chats | yes | yes |
| Create groups and channels | no, while the limit lasts | no |
| How it ends | lifts when the term ends | deletion if the appeal isn't accepted |
How to appeal
If you're sure the limit is a mistake, appeal through the same @SpamBot: after /start the bot offers to report that the limit is unfair and asks you to describe what happened. For frozen accounts, Telegram offers an appeal right inside the app.
What to write:
- who you are and what you use the account for, in a sentence or two;
- that you haven't sent unsolicited messages to strangers, if that's true;
- if the number is new, that you recently bought it or got it from a carrier.
A person reviews the appeal. Sending the same request again doesn't speed it up.
API errors that reveal a limit
When an account runs through an app rather than the official client, its status shows up in errors from the API error list:
| Error | Meaning |
|---|---|
| PEER_FLOOD | the account was reported, check @SpamBot |
| USER_RESTRICTED | the account can't create chats because of reports |
| FROZEN_METHOD_INVALID | the account is frozen, the action is unavailable |
| USER_DEACTIVATED_BAN | the account was deleted by anti-spam |
| PHONE_NUMBER_BANNED | the number is banned |
| PRIVACY_PREMIUM_REQUIRED | not a ban: the recipient only accepts messages from Premium users |
Don't confuse PEER_FLOOD with FLOOD_WAIT. The latter is a request to wait seconds or minutes, not a limit — there's a separate guide on what FLOOD_WAIT means and how long to wait.
What doesn't help
- Premium. The Premium FAQ states plainly that subscribers get no special treatment in moderation.
- Asking to lift it early. The official answer is that it's impossible.
- Tools that promise to "bypass anti-spam". No Telegram library can get around moderation: reports are reviewed by people, not formulas.
- A new account on the same number. The limit stays with the number.
How to lower the risk
Limits come from recipients finding your messages unwelcome. So only measures that reduce reports actually work:
- message people who showed interest first: left a request, replied in a chat, subscribed;
- don't add people to groups without their consent;
- don't send the same text to hundreds of people in a row;
- keep pauses between actions and stay within Telegram's limits;
- check account status regularly, not after something fails.
Telegram's terms forbid using the service for spam, and the API terms promise a permanent ban to accounts that use it for spamming or inflating counters. No software makes spam safe.