Why not use a more secure app than Telegram which doesn't have ads? I saw people mentioning matrix, signal, and simplex channels. Dunno if they're still around.
Nope, it didn't when I last checked (mb ½year ago). Also, it has analytics and stuff.
I personally ended up cloning mercury and adding a few of those patches myself, which is quite easy since you don't need to add toggles (you always use what you use, and can skip adding what you don't use)