Thanks to Edward Snowden’s revelations, we are now aware that our ISPs can track web traffic. Privacy has become an expensive commodity as our messages can be checked. Hackers can act like people from your contact list and communicate with you. However, there are still some messaging apps for iOS that are fighting your battle for privacy by encrypting chats before you send it to your recipients. In this article, we’ve featured 9 such secure messaging apps for iOS that are encrypted. Check them out!
1. WhatsApp
In April 2016, Whatsapp started encrypting user communication across all platforms. The ‘end-to-end encryption’ feature allows no one other than the sender and the receiver to see the message. You can assure that your chats are not read by others by following these steps:-
- Open any chat
- Open the contact info by tapping on the name of the chat
- Tap Encryption. You’ll see a QR code and a 60-digit number.
WhatsApp works amazingly well for iOS users. Register yourself with a mobile number into the app and you can chat carefree. Click here to download the app.
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2. Pryvate
Pryvate was started in November 2015. Powered by Cryptique, the messaging app was designed for enterprises for sophisticated mobile security. The free version of the messaging app Pryvate Now provides features like IM messaging functions, RSA 4096 encrypted voice, and self-destructing messages. Many users upgrade to the premium version to enjoy other features like private email, video calls, voice calls, secure conference calls, anti-blocking measures and file storage. Pryvate integrates with storage apps like Box, OneDrive and DropBox.
The app provides 4096-bit encryption, 256-bit key management, and has a perfect secrecy design. The free trial version has limited but solid features and you can buy the monthly subscription at $5.62. Click here to download the app.
3. Facebook Messenger
Like WhatsApp, the messaging app from Facebook known as Facebook Messenger offers end-to-end encryption in the form of an optional feature called “Secret Conversations”. Facebook collaborated with Open Whisper Systems to implement the technique to make its app more secure. With Secret Conversation, you can send messages, videos, audios, or images to other users.
Note:- Your messages can be decrypted by Facebook if any user reports about them.
Facebook Messenger is available for iOS. Click here to download the app.
4. Viber Messenger
Viber has also joined the league by introducing the popular “end-to-end” encryption feature. The app follows a color-coded system to display how secure your conversations are. They are categorized as follows:-
- Grey color– Encrypted chat
- Green color– Encrypted chat with Trusted contact
- Red color– Issues with authentication
You can delete chats on Viber and even hide chat rooms.
Communication in Viber- a video call, a message or a voice call, is attached to your number. However, you must pay to phone non-Viber users. Click here if you wish to download Viber messenger for iOS.
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5. Telegram
Telegram is a messaging app that is quick, user-friendly and has a great secret conversation feature. On Telegram, chats can only be controlled on the phone where you began it. The app got an infamy when it was public that ISIS uses telegram to gather followers.
Telegram does not protect the local database by default. Therefore, users need to use a password to protect their message boxes. Telegram’s cloud architecture makes message delivery quicker. Its ‘Secure Chat’ mode offers end-to-end encryption to users. You can include 200 users in a group chat and can send documents, messages and videos to them. Overall, Telegram is worth trying and you can download the app from here. Click here to download Telegram for iOS.
6. Silent Phone
The app is created by Silent Circle, the makers of Blackphone. Silent Circle is an industry leader in mobile security and they have created a powerful application.
Silent Phone offers secure messaging, file transfer and free HD voice calls. It consists of the Wipe feature that helps you to delete personal files and folders through the app. It also has a button for quick shutdown of the app.
As Silent Phone is an open source software, code vulnerabilities can be checked. Silent Phone has a free trial version for iOS. To enjoy complete features, you can go for a monthly subscription of $9.95. Click here to download the software.
7. Signal
Signal is created by Open Whisper Systems who created end-to-end encryption technique for WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger. Signal is a user-friendly app that is even approved by Edward Snowden. Again, Signal is an open source program, hence, experts can look into the app for any vulnerabilities.
Signal does not keep track of metadata such as your time of messages, number of messages, phone numbers in your contact list etc. The messaging app does not even try to backup your messages when you backup your device. The messaging app works fine with iOS. Click here to download Signal.
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8. Cyphr
Cyphr is created by Golden Frog, the creators of Vypr, the popular VPN. Cyphr stores minimum metadata in their servers and offers end-to-end encryption. The app provides SSL protocol for message delivery and AES 256-bit key management to encrypt your messages. More features like multi-device support and desktop support are being added to the current version. Click here to download Cyphr.
Besides, these secure messaging apps, you can also try Wire, Wickr Me and iMessage from Apple.
All of the above-mentioned software provide absolute secrecy to your chats. Moreover, majority of them are free. We hope that you will like our effort to enlist the best secure and encrypted messaging apps for iOS users. Share your experience with apps in the comments below. Also, subscribe to our newsletter for more amazing articles on latest technology and trends.