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The best encrypted messaging apps are an ideal way to protect your messages from prying eyes including the companies that make them.

This is because these apps come with encryption methods that are so strong that even government agencies can’t crack them. The most common method is end-to-end encryption which means only the sender and recipient of a message can see its contents.

Apple’s iMessage protocol uses end-to-end encryption as well but its Messages app also handles unencrypted SMS text messages. This makes it easy to get confused which is why you’re better off using one of the best encrypted messaging apps instead if you want to ensure that all of your chats are secure. It’s worth noting that Google’s Messages app can also use end-to-end encryption but both people need to have RCS chats turned on.

These are the best encrypted messaging apps available right now for Android and iOS.

The best encrypted messaging apps you can download today

Signal is a fantastic messaging solution for security-conscious mobile users. It’s a free all-in-one messaging, voice-call and group-chat solution that uses its own end-to-end encryption protocol. 

You can send text messages, voice calls, group messages, media and attachments to your phone contacts, all without having to mess with PIN codes or special login credentials. Updates to the app have added user-friendly features such as custom wallpapers and animated stickers, and Signal group video chats can now have up to 40 participants.

All Signal messages can be set to self-destruct after a certain amount of time while a Chrome browser plugin lets you use Signal from your desktop as well. You can transfer Signal accounts from one Android phone to another and from one iOS device to another. In fact, you can even change phone numbers while keeping Signal account data as long as you’re staying on the same device.

Signal’s encryption protocol is so strong that WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger use it too. But unlike Facebook, Signal’s parent company is a non-profit foundation created by an anarchist cryptographer and one of the founders of WhatsApp.

Ease of use and strong, open-source, regularly audited encryption makes Signal a favorite of the security-conscious, with accolades from Edward Snowden and other privacy advocates. User-friendliness without compromising on security makes Signal a fantastic option for users looking for an encrypted messaging and calling app. Here’s our guide on how to use Signal.

Download Signal: Android, iOS

Like Signal and WhatsApp, Telegram lets users link their phone number to a Telegram account to send fast, encrypted messaging over the internet, with client-server encryption for standard chats. 

But Telegram is much more than just a messaging service. It has grown into a worldwide social-media platform, with huge user groups and broadcasts that let accounts reach millions of followers in an instant. It has uses far beyond secure messaging.

However, end-to-end encryption is not enabled by default on Telegram. To get it, you’ll have to switch to Secret Chat mode. You can set messages to self-destruct, share videos and documents and participate in group chats of up to 200,000 users. (Yes, Telegram really does support group chats that large.) However, chats with more than two participants won’t be end-to-end encrypted.

A caveat? Telegram uses its own custom MTProto encryption rather than a more proven system. Here’s our guide on how to use Telegram.

Download Telegram: Android, iOS

The world’s most popular stand-alone chat and call app, WhatsApp has used Signal’s end-to-end encryption protocol on all messages since 2016. 

Its developers are continuously adding tweaks to the app’s security and privacy features, such as fine-tuned group invitations and controls so that you’re always aware who is reading your group chats. 

The app is also testing transfers of chat history when switching between iOS and Android phones and using a single account on four different devices at once. Updates to WhatsApp have made it possible to have end-to-end-encrypted backups and have added the ability to make disappearing chats the default. You can also transfer your chat history from iPhone to Android, and the iOS beta suggests an Android-to-iPhone transfer feature is coming soon.

In 2014, WhatsApp was bought by Facebook, which later broke its promise that it wouldn’t “monetize” the service which led its founders to leave and one of them co-founded Signal. Some WhatsApp user behavioral data is now shared with Facebook, which has created more demand for WhatsApp alternatives, but the messages remain entirely walled-off. 

No matter who owns it, WhatsApp remains one of the easiest ways for anyone to use end-to-end encrypted messaging. If you’re not comfortable with Facebook’s presence, there are plenty of other options on this page.

Users who want to be absolutely sure about their security can verify each chat’s 60-digit security-verification code or QR code that you can compare with a contact to ensure that your conversation is encrypted. You’ll also want to make sure your messages are backed up with WhatsApp itself and not with Apple’s iCloud.

Combined with WhatsApp’s ubiquity, ease of use and the ability to send voice messages, photos, and video messages, and conduct group chats, makes for a robust and fully encrypted mobile-messaging app.

Download WhatsApp: Android, iOS