The primary concern for today’s digital users is not connectivity but privacy and security. We all know that there are two valid sides of the argument when talking about security and privacy. On one side, we get to know how our personal data is being misused on the web and we want our personal data to be secure and private, and the second side justifies that the Government dearly needs our data continuously to spot national threats easily.
We daily use to chat using messaging apps on our smartphones. The revelations by Edward Snowden about the surveillance and hackers attacks made more security concern about picking the messaging apps. Reports by EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) some established mobile apps are failed in the first phase of the new secure & usable crypto campaign.
What is end-to-end encryption?
When it comes to communication messaging service security, end-to-end encryption word appears. It is a security protocol to keep your message private and visible to only sender and receiver. It is a type of communication system, which transforms messages into an unreadable format of data. If you send a message it converts into another format during travel and again the message is reconstructed to the original readable message when it reaches to the receivers end.
EFF created a scorecard based on encryption transit, open to independent review, proper security design documentation, and recent code audit. It is very hard to pick up the secure texting apps from the list because so many are available. To help our audience we picked some most secure messaging apps for your conversations.
Best Secure Messaging Apps For Your Conversations
1. Signal Private Messenger
Taking the number one position is not an easy task. It comes with great responsibility. Signal Private Messenger built on open source platform which enables everyone to verify its code. This will help in finding a bug or any other error codes with the public interest. The app is completely free and packed with a ton of great features. The features include group chat, crystal clear voice clarity in VOIP, and much more.
2. Threema
Threema is very popular for its strict encryption rules. It is one of the most popular and promising end-to-end encrypted messaging service available for Android and iOS. The developers are very sure about your messaging data and it remains intact by providing 100% privacy to end user. Along with robust security features, the app is very friendly for messaging. It supports various file formats like gif, doc, mp3, zip, and pdf to send over the service. It is available in both free and paid versions.
3. WhatsApp Messenger
WhatsApp doesn’t need any introduction. It is one of the most popular messaging app available for Android and iOS. The app is partnered with Open Whisper systems which offer end-to-end encryption for users. This encryption technique will not use user data, contacts and messages, not even WhatsApp.
4. TextSecure Private Messenger (Android)
TextSecure Private Messenger is a very privacy oriented. It is a free and open source private chat application for Android. It uses open source peer-reviewed cryptographic protocols to keep conversations safe. TextSecure server never saves any passwords, metadata or any communication with you.
5. Seecrypt
Seecrypt is the next generation of secure messaging apps for Android. You can definitely argue with not being a popular secure messenger. But, it does offer a similar encryption level and security.
If you want a simple yet easy-to-use user interface, this would be the one to choose first.
6. Wickr Me – Private Messenger
With end-to-end encryption and full privacy & security Wickr Me is one of our favorite secure messengers. Each and every word is encrypted in this messenger by using advanced vetted technology. Even your address book is private, Wickr Me won’t store your data on their servers. The app also has a shredder feature which deletes all your chats and contents from your device.
7. Wire • Secure Messenger
The Wire is a user-friendly and secured messaging app. This app is protected by Europian privacy laws, and also the code is open sourced. It offers end-to-end encryption including chats, calls and your conversations are even hidden for Wire network.
8. Confide
Confide is a cool secure messaging app, which along with security & privacy features. On the messaging front, the app uses a decent user interface. Your conversations are completely protected and they disappear for forever once you read. The app also has features like the ability to send text, audio, files, images, video and more.
9. Telegram
Telegram is encrypted using a combination of 256-bit symmetric AES encryption, 2048-bit RSA encryption, and Diffie–Hellman secure key exchange. Which means your chat messages are 100% secure. Telegram is very popular around the globe with a decent set of messaging features. It has group messaging feature, encrypted, up to 50k members group support, photo and video editing tools and much more. Telegram is one of your favorite secure messaging apps for both Android and iOS.
10. Surespot encrypted messenger
With a promising end-to-end encryption feature, Surespot has got into the top 10 list. In the initial run, you need to create an account. On the opening screen, it is clearly mentioned that no way to rest your password or username, so make sure to remember or save it on a password manager.
Surespot is an open source encryped messaging service. It won’t need your phone number or email to start using the service. For the security, Surespot uses 256 bit AES-GCM encryption using keys created with 521 bit ECDH.
Final Words
Want to protect your online privacy? Don’t want your conversations to be tracked? Well, then you should consider switching using these messenger apps for secure communication. I would recommend installing Signal and Threema. But, if you don’t get friends to switch then you could utilize other secure messengers and WhatsApp as well being safer than it was previously.