We feature the best encrypted instant messaging apps for Android, to ensure that your chats, calls, and video are private and secure.
The best encrypted instant messaging apps for Android ensure that your chats, calls, and video are private and secure. Messaging apps have been common in Android smartphones since their release, but while there are an increasing number of privacy apps available, there are also a growing number of encrypted chat apps. These aim to better protect users in an internet world where marketing companies are increasingly trying to not just track users but also read their messages. Additionally, private messaging traditionally involves copies of your chat sessions to be saved on the company servers, which could be exposed and published online by a successful hack attack. Encrypted instant messaging ensures privacy and security by making sure that only the person you are sending your messages to can actually read them. Powerful encryption software built into the messaging apps means that any third-party intercepting those messages will not be able to read them. With the ever-increasingly popularity of Android phones, encrypted apps have become increasingly popular. Here we feature the best encrypted instant messaging apps currently available. We’ve also featured the best privacy tools and anonymous browsers. Signal is widely regarded as the gold standard of encrypted messaging apps, not least because its encryption engine is open source and available for anyone to inspect. That doesn’t make it any easier to hack, but it does mean there are a lot more pairs of eyes looking at the robustness of the encryption methods. Besides the industry-leading encryption on offer here, the app itself is fairly plain and basic in terms of visuals and appearance. It does support group chats though, as well as the sending of files and photos in addition to text, so you’re going to be pretty well covered no matter what your needs. Signal can replace the default SMS app if you want it to, but basic SMS texts aren’t encrypted – you and the person you’re chatting with both need to have Signal installed for the encryption feature to function properly, otherwise Signal doesn’t have enough control over both ends of the conversation. The app also includes several other useful features on top of the tight security, such as video calling, and disappearing messages that vanish after a certain time period (perfect for those conversations you don’t want to stay on the record).
