The Telegram problem we didn't expect
Three weeks before Culr launched, a user in our beta cohort sent a message that made us pause: "I've got 8GB of random Telegram images I don't even remember downloading. Can you help with those?" We hadn't planned for it. WhatsApp, yes. Telegram was an afterthought. But that one question cascaded into conversations with a dozen more beta testers, all saying the same thing.
How a messaging app became our second priority
The truth is, we built Culr to solve a specific problem: the camera roll as a dumping ground. Blurry photos, duplicates, screenshots you meant to delete, burst sequences where only one frame matters. Those are the sins of the device's native camera app and a bit of user negligence.
But Telegram is different. It's not something your phone generates. It's something you receive, often in bulk, from groups and channels. And unlike WhatsApp, which stores media in a dedicated folder that's relatively easy to index, Telegram scatters files across its own cache. Some users don't even realise those images are taking up space.
We'd already built WhatsApp bulk-delete because we live in the UK, where WhatsApp is ubiquitous. Telegram felt niche by comparison. But the beta feedback was insistent enough that we had to ask ourselves: are we solving the problem for the people who use our app, or just the people we assumed would use it?
The technical decision we almost didn't make
Implementing Telegram detection meant diving into how the app stores files locally. It's not as straightforward as WhatsApp. Telegram doesn't always sync media back to the device camera roll; it keeps its own library. So we had two choices: build a feature that only shows Telegram media within the Telegram app itself, or reverse-engineer where Telegram caches files and expose those to Culr's main interface.
The second option was more useful. Messier technically, but more useful. That's what we built. It means you can see all your Telegram downloads in one place, understand how much space they're taking up, and delete them alongside the rest of your camera roll clutter using the same swipe workflow you'd use for anything else.
The engineering took longer than expected because Telegram's storage structure changes between app versions and differs between iOS and Android. We tested across four major Telegram versions before we felt confident enough to ship it. One late night, our lead engineer noticed that on Android, the app was sometimes caching media in multiple locations. That bug would have made deletion unreliable. We caught it because we were obsessive about the one thing Culr can't afford to get wrong: accidentally deleting something you needed.
What this taught us about camera roll clutter
Telegram detection changed how we thought about Culr's mission. We'd framed the problem as "your camera roll is messy." But what users really meant was "my phone is full of media I don't want, and I don't know what to delete." The source matters less than the outcome.
It also forced us to confront a design question: when you're cleaning your camera roll, should you be able to see and manage media from outside your camera roll? Our answer was yes, but only if we're transparent about it. In the app, Telegram media is clearly labelled. You see it's from Telegram before you delete it. You don't accidentally nuke eight years of group chat memories thinking you're just clearing screenshots.
That transparency matters because trust is the only currency a cleanup app has. We're asking you to delete things permanently. The moment you feel like you've lost something you needed, you uninstall and never come back. Every decision we make is weighted against that risk.
Why we didn't stop at Telegram
After we shipped Telegram detection, we got requests for Discord, Signal, Facebook Messenger, Instagram DMs. Each one is a different storage model, a different permission model, a different risk profile. We didn't build any of them, at least not yet.
The reason is simple: we're not a messaging app cleanup utility. We're a camera roll cleaner. Telegram made it into Culr because the files end up in your phone's storage in a way that impacts your device's capacity and your ability to find actual photos. It's a practical problem with a practical boundary.
It's the same boundary that's kept Culr focused since day one. We don't offer weekly billing subscriptions because we're not trying to trap you in a recurring payment. We don't fill the app with ad tracking SDKs because we're not trying to sell your behaviour to advertisers. We built Telegram detection because one of the people using our app asked us to.
The thing we got wrong, and why it mattered
When we first launched Telegram detection, we only made it available to Plus and Pro subscribers. The logic seemed sound: the feature was newer, it required more backend work, and Plus users had already chosen to invest in the app.
Within two days, three separate users asked why they couldn't delete their Telegram media on the free plan. They weren't being awkward. They were pointing out that Telegram clutter affects everyone equally. The free plan already lets you swipe-delete anything from your camera roll. Blocking Telegram cleanup felt arbitrary.
We changed it. Free users can now see and delete Telegram media. The most helpful part of Culr should be available to the most people. If you want duplicate detection, blur scoring, AI keeper recommendations, and scheduled cleanup, that's when we ask you to upgrade. But if Telegram is eating your storage, we'll help you deal with it for free.
Telegram detection isn't the fanciest feature in Culr. It's not going to make it into any awards shortlist. But it's one of the best examples of how we build: by listening to the person using the app, and by asking whether a feature makes the core problem easier to solve. What's taking up the most space in your camera roll that you've been avoiding dealing with?