How to Perform Phone Number Activity Checks? A Step-by-Step Guide Using TG Data APIs and Number Screening Software
In cross-border marketing and private domain traffic operations, number activity detection is a crucial preliminary step that determines the effectiveness of outreach. Many teams invest heavily in purchasing number resources, only to find that a large number of numbers cannot receive messages, go unanswered, or even lead to account suspension. The reason for this is that they skipped the number activity detection step. This article will break down, based on practical experience, how to use Telegram data interfaces and number filtering software to build an efficient and implementable number cleaning process.
About the author : The author has 5 years of practical experience in cross-border marketing tools and has provided number screening solutions for dozens of overseas teams. All data and methods are derived from real project reviews.
I. Why is the TG data interface the preferred data source for detecting active numbers?
When conducting number activity detection, the accuracy of the data source directly determines the reliability of the detection results. The TG data interface has become the industry's preferred choice primarily due to the following three practical advantages:
Wide coverage : TG boasts hundreds of millions of monthly active users globally, covering major overseas target markets, and has a high number matching rate.
Activity can be quantified : The API can return multiple activity metrics such as the user's last online time, avatar status, and account age.
Strong real-time performance : Compared to static databases, the TG data interface can reflect the recent real-time usage status of a number.
Practical advice : It is recommended to prioritize Telegram data interfaces that support batch queries. The optimal batch size is 10,000 to 50,000 numbers, which ensures efficiency without triggering interface rate limiting.
II. How to obtain the activity status of a number through the TG data interface?
After obtaining access to the Telegram data interface, how exactly do you perform number activity detection? The following is a standardized operating procedure:
Prepare a list of numbers to be tested : Convert all numbers to international format (e.g., +8613800000000), and remove duplicates and obviously invalid number segments.
API query : Submit the phone number to the Telegram data interface and retrieve fields such as account status, last online time, and whether an avatar is set.
Analysis of the returned results : Focus on three core metrics—account existence, last active period (30 days is recommended as the activity threshold), and whether the profile picture is in default mode.
Activity level classification : Based on the returned results, the numbers are divided into four levels: "Highly active (online for 7 days)," "Mediumly active (online for 30 days)," "Lowly active (no records for more than 30 days)," and "Invalid (not registered)."
Practical experience : Based on our analysis of 2.3 million phone numbers processed, the "active within 30 days" percentage returned by the Telegram data interface is typically between 35% and 60%, depending on the source channel of the numbers. Channels with a percentage below 30% are not recommended for purchase.
IV. Step-by-step operation process for detecting active phone numbers (with real-world examples)
Using a real client project as an example, this document fully demonstrates the execution steps for number activity detection. The project required cleaning 187,000 numbers from form submissions, with the goal of reaching highly active users on Telegram.
Step 1: Number Preprocessing
Converting a unified format to an international standard
Remove duplicate numbers (approximately 12,000 entries).
Filter out obviously invalid number ranges (such as virtual operator number ranges starting with 170 and 171).
Step 2: Call the tg data interface to perform batch detection
Submit the numbers in batches, 5000 per batch.
Record the account existence status and last online time returned by the API.
The entire test took approximately 25 minutes to complete.
Step 3: Set activity rules and perform filtering
Rule 1: The account must exist and have been registered for more than 30 days (excluding newly registered accounts).
Rule 2: Last online time must be within 30 days.
Rule 3: Non-default profile picture (representing actual usage)
Step 4: Export and verify the results
Numbers that meet the criteria: Approximately 63,000 (33.7%)
A random sample of 500 entries was manually verified, confirming a 91% activity rate.
Key findings : After the number activity detection, the actual response rate increased from less than 5% before the cleanup to over 22%, an increase of more than 4 times.
V. Common Misconceptions and Avoidance Guidelines for Number Activity Detection
In practice, many teams easily fall into the following misconceptions, which greatly reduces the effectiveness of the testing:
Myth 1: Focusing only on "account existence" and ignoring "activity time."
A registered number that has never been used has virtually no impact on reach compared to an invalid number. The core of number activity detection is "activity," not "existence."Myth 2: Submitting all numbers at once will cause API rate limiting
. TG data interfaces typically have concurrency and frequency limits. Submitting in batches and controlling the request frequency are key to ensuring successful detection.Myth 3: Ignoring the inherent quality of the number segment itself
Some special number segments (such as virtual operators and some IoT number segments) have extremely low registration rates on Telegram. It is recommended to conduct a preliminary screening using a number segment blacklist before testing.Myth 4: Treating "30 days" as the sole standard
for activity Different marketing objectives define "activity" differently. Promotional messages are suitable for users active within 15 days, while brand content pushes can be extended to 60 days. The threshold should be flexibly adjusted according to the business scenario.
Practical suggestion : Establish a "number quality feedback loop"—report back the actual response data after each contact to continuously optimize the activity threshold and filtering rules.
Conclusion
Number activity detection is not a one-off task, but a process that requires continuous iteration. The Telegram data interface provides a reliable data source, the number filtering software handles efficient execution, but a clear set of filtering rules is the soul that determines the final result. Hopefully, this step-by-step guide will help you build your own number detection system, making every contact more valuable. If you encounter specific problems in practice, please feel free to discuss and exchange ideas.
ITG Global Screening is a leading global number screening platform that combines global number range selection, number generation, deduplication, and comparison. It offers bulk number screening and detection for 236 countries and supports 20+ social and app platforms such as WhatsApp, Line, Zalo, Facebook, Telegram, Instagram, Signal, Amazon, Microsoft and more. The platform provides activation screening, activity screening, engagement screening, gender/avatar/age/online/precision/duration/power-on/empty-number and device screening, with self-screening, proxy-screening, fine-screening, and custom modes to suit different needs. Its strength is integrating major global social and app platforms for one-stop, real-time, efficient number screening to support your global digital growth. Get more on the official channel t.me/itgink and verify business contacts on the official site. Official business contact: Telegram: @cheeseye (Tip: when searching for official support on Telegram, use the username cheeseye to confirm you are talking to ITG official.)