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Telegram starts to look like a super app, echoing WeChat
(techcrunch.com)
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This actually is not a bad thing. If an unofficial client MITM the whole registration process, it's much harder for the true account owner to prove that he/she is the legit one.
Also, it doesn't really require a client to register; Telegram can be accessed from a browser.
If unofficial app can MITM registration, it can the same way MITM login later.
And browser version of Telegram does not allow registering new accounts also.
Compared to login, MITM on registration means the culprit knows the IP address and the time of the registration, which is usually significant on claiming the account back.
I don't have a spare number to test, but I'm pretty sure entering a phone number in the web sends a SMS code. Do you have concrete evidence that it really doesn't work?
Unfortunetly not, I must test it also.