Summary – The article highlights the rising use of secret chat apps that help to keep conversations private and secure. It gives a detailed analysis of some of the best secret messaging apps that ensures the privacy of the users’ conversations

Do you think the data you share on Facebook, Whatsapp, Messenger, etc is private? The Government keeps a constant eye on the Internet and data which is shared by the users.

Privacy and Security have always been a big issue for the Android Operating System. Personal data is meant to be kept personal, but the government needs personal data for reasons like National Security. Cybercrimes have increased constantly in these years and so has the security.

But, what if you don’t want anyone to see your personal data? What if you feel that your privacy has been invaded?

The app industry has solutions for all of your problems. The Android app developers have developed some of the best secret chat apps that will prevent your personal data sharing. These apps offer services like end-to-end encryption that doesn’t allow the service providers to keep a copy of the messages.

Broadly, there are two methods of hiding messages on your Android phone. These are discussed below –

1. Hide Messages By Archiving Them

This method works on your Google Messenger app. This app will help you hide the messages you don’t want to see without deleting them.

How to archive the messages?

1. Open the Google Messenger App
2. Click on the three dots on the upper right-hand side of the app to archive messages.

Note – This method does not provide end-to-end encryption. This method can only be used if you want to hide messages from the interface.

2.Hide Messages with a Third-Party App

A secret chat is a one-to-one chat, which is encrypted when delivered to the end-users, and chats/messages are deleted after sending it to the receiver end due to the customized time setup from the sender’s end.

Secret chat apps have become popular among teenagers. To maintain privacy they are willing to keep their chats secret from others.

Many of the private messaging apps present in the store provide features that allow users to have secret conversations. These apps provide an extra layer of security to the users.

Anyone who picks up your phone cannot read the text messages. It can also be used as a tool to hide who you’re are in contact with or the nature of conversations.

A growing number of these apps even include self-destructing features that automatically delete texts, photos, or videos sent after a certain amount of time.

Here are some of the popular secret messaging apps for Android –

• Signal Private Messenger

The app has claimed endorsement from Edward Snowden. The app uses end-to-end encryption to secure messages.

The best thing about the app is that it is open source. The experts can easily access its code and find flaws in its security system. Here are the features of the Signal Private Messenger App –

• Audio call support
• Group chats
• Media transfer
• Archives
• Private conversations
• Telegram

Telegram provides messaging services to people all around the globe through a unique network of data centers. The app has gained a user base of 200 million in just 4 years.

The key features of the Telegram app are –

• Supports data sync on multiple devices at once
• Data is stored in the Telegram cloud and uses no disc space on your device
• Supports sharing files of any type and size
• Offers photo and video editing tools
• Messages are encrypted using a combination of 256-bit symmetric AES encryption.
• Threema

Threema is one of the most trusted and secure messaging app for Android, iOS and Windows phone. This is a paid app that costs the US $2.99.

The app doesn’t ask for an e-mail ID or a phone number to register. Instead, it provides you with a unique Threema ID.

Threema allows end-to-end encryption for voice calls, group chats, files, and even status messages. Threema uses the trusted open source Networking and Cryptography Library (NaCl) to secure your conversation.

Here are some of the key features of Threemaapp :

• Voice calls
• You can share locations, pictures, and videos
• Text and voice messages
• Supports various file formats
• Viber

Viber was initially available only on iPhone. Viber was launched on the Android platform in 2012.

Viber uses a color-coded system to show how protected a conversation is. It uses three colors – grey, green and red. Grey denotes encrypted conversation, green denotes encrypted conversation with a trusted contact and red means there is an issue with the authentication.

Some of the key features of Viberare :

• Group chat
• Deletes the messages after delivering
• Easy sync will all the devices
• GIFs and stickers available for users

The Endnote

Before choosing a secret chat app, the most important thing to keep in mind is the requirements you have from the app. Ensure that it provides complete security and end-to-end encryption.

Being well-informed and clear about your expectations when it comes to device, Internet, and app use are the first steps in ensuring the security of your conversations.