Search this site

Try a part name, a rupee figure, or the fault you are chasing.

Free project pack

ESP32 Telegram bot does not answer: token, chat ID, time and HTTPS

Message the bot once from your account, then check the token and chat ID in the code.

What the message means

Telegram only lets a bot write to a chat that has started. The library also needs a working HTTPS connection with the right time.

Fix it in this order

  1. Open your bot in Telegram and press start.
  2. Check the token from the bot creator chat and the chat ID of your own account.
  3. Sync the time first. See the NTP page.
  4. Add the certificate or use the setting your library needs for HTTPS.
  5. Poll every second or two, not in a tight loop.
  6. Print the library return values to see errors.

If you see this, do this

You seeDo this
Never receives anythingToken, chat ID or HTTPS.
Sends but does not receivePolling or the update offset.

HTTPS errors, NTP time.

Last reviewed: November 2026. These are the usual causes and the order that finds them fastest. Test on your own board; clones and cables differ.