Article summary
A dead-number check concerns telecom validity; TG registration concerns Telegram account presence; activity checking returns timing and account-related fields. Learn the correct order.
A dead phone number, a number not registered on Telegram and a Telegram account with little visible activity are three different states. Treating them as synonyms produces bad cleanup rules and misleading reports.
The shortest distinction is: telecom validity concerns the phone number, TG registration concerns whether the selected check returns the number as registered on Telegram, and TG activity concerns additional returned timing or account-state fields.
The three-layer model
| Layer | Question | Example result | What it does not prove |
|---|---|---|---|
| Telecom number status | Is the number structurally or operationally valid in its numbering context? | Valid, invalid, unreachable or unknown depending on the telecom method | That a Telegram account exists |
| TG registration | Is the submitted number returned as registered by the TG task? | Registered / not registered | Recent use or willingness to be contacted |
| TG activity | What activity and account-related fields are returned? | Active days, offline time, UserID, username and states | A guaranteed response or exact identity |
Why “dead” cannot be inferred from “not registered”
A functioning mobile number may never have been used for Telegram. An account may also move to another number. Therefore, a not-registered result is a platform observation, not a carrier conclusion. Label it tg_not_registered, not dead_number.
The reverse also matters: historical Telegram registration does not prove that the underlying subscription remains under the same person’s control.
Why activity is a separate stage
AIPUSH TG activity output can include TG UserID, username, user offline time, active days, first and last names, VIP state and frozen state. These fields are relevant only when the project actually needs activity or account context. They should not be required for a simple registration cleanup.
Telegram privacy settings affect visibility of last-seen and online information. The official Telegram FAQ explains that users may see approximate values under some settings. Preserve unavailable results instead of turning them into inactivity.
The recommended checking order
- Normalize country code and phone-number format.
- Resolve blank, duplicate and structurally impossible records.
- Use an appropriate telecom-status source only if the project requires carrier validity.
- Run TG registration checking for the remaining authorized list.
- Run TG activity only for the registered cohort when those fields inform a defined decision.
- Apply consent and suppression controls before downstream use.
Name columns so the distinction survives
Recommended names include phone_format_status, telecom_status, tg_registration_result, tg_activity_days, tg_offline_time and permission_state. Add run date and source to every observed result. Never collapse them into one valid column.
AIPUSH uses TXT for the number list and returns task-specific Excel fields. Keep each task’s workbook linked to its run so a later analyst knows which layer produced each column.
Four examples that expose bad assumptions
- A valid number with no Telegram registration is not a dead number.
- A registered Telegram number with missing activity data is not automatically inactive.
- A recently active account is not proof of marketing permission.
- An invalidly formatted row is not evidence about either telecom or Telegram status.
Once the layers are named correctly, the workflow becomes simpler: fix the number, check the platform state that answers the question, request richer fields only when necessary, and keep permission as an independent decision.
