We’re shocked (shocked!) that White House staffers’ favorite secure messaging app is probably not that secure (2024)

FAQs

What is the safest messaging service? ›

Threema is a paid encrypted messaging app that provides a high level of anonymity. It offers private text and voice messages, voice and video calls, group polling, and file sharing.

Telegram – Most Secure Chatting App

Here, the system works as when the user gets accessed to the “secrets chats” functionality, the messages automatically get self-destructed across all the connected devices.

The chat list, with any messages shown in preview, may be screenshot or screencast without a system notification presented to the sender of the breach of security implied in the choice of using disappearing messages.

Text Vault is the best texting app for protecting your real phone number during texting by keeping your personal phone number private and secret. Text to strangers with a disposable temporary anonymous phone number.

Telegram, WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, Signal, and Viber are all secret texting apps for Android. They have hidden chat features. Telegram is the best secret texting app for Android.

We designed iMessage to use end-to-end encryption, so there's no way for Apple to decrypt the content of your conversations when they are in transit between devices. Attachments you send over iMessage (such as photos or videos) are encrypted so that no one but the sender and receiver(s) can access them.

When you message someone who also has RCS chats turned on in Messages, your chat conversations automatically upgrade to end-to-end encryption. With end-to-end encryption, no one can read the content sent between you and the other person.

That's why we made “My Eyes Only,” which lets you keep your Snaps safe and encrypted, and protected behind a password you choose. That way, even if someone steals your device and logs in to Snapchat somehow, those private Snaps are still safe.

One option for Android and iPhone: Signal

One go-to app for folks who want encrypted messages is Signal. It's available on iPhone and Android and is really easy to use. First you download the app then register your phone number.

What is the most secure way to send texts? ›

Confide prevents screenshots with our patented ScreenShield technology. For extra privacy on iOS and Android, our patented reading experience ensures that only one line of the message is unveiled at a time and that the sender's name is not simultaneously visible.

Signal messages and calls cannot be accessed by us or other third parties because they are always end-to-end encrypted, private, and secure.

The WatchMeGrow app detects and protects against screenshots and video recording.

BeReal does tell you if somebody screenshots your post, but it won't show an obvious notification like on Snapchat. If you want to see who took a screenshot of your BeReal post, just tap the screenshot icon next to your post in the app.

Speak freely with Confide. With our encrypted messenger app, your mobile communications will be completely confidential and have the same level of privacy as the spoken word. You'll leave zero trace online with end-to-end encrypted messaging, vanishing messages, screenshot-proof technology, and Incognito Mode.

Find the App Used to Send You These Messages

You can do this by going to Carrier Lookup. Here, you can see what carrier hosts the number. It will tell you if the number belongs to Google Voice or other apps that can generate a phone number. Once you have the source of the number, you should contact the company.

A decoy app is a sneaky on-device tool that lets anybody hide secret photos, videos and messages, under the cover of an innocent-looking icon.

Android phones

Select Settings, then Call Settings. Tap Additional Settings, then Caller ID. Open the Caller ID drop-down menu and select Hide My Number.

You can only recover messages and conversations that you deleted within the last 30 to 40 days. If you delete a message before you update to iOS 16, iPadOS 16, or later, you can't recover that message.

Can police read iMessages? ›

Messages that are backed up to iCloud from Apple devices have a copy of the encryption key stored with them, which law enforcement can also help itself to.

Protect sensitive information with security and end-to-end encryption through the phone encryption solution developed by Verizon and Cellcrypt, Verizon Cypher.

RCS hacking illegally accesses a device's Rich Communication Services (RCS) protocol without authorization. It enables an intruder to gain control of user messages, devices, and confidential data. RCS hacking leads to malicious activities like intercepting messages or accessing sensitive information without permission.

Although different, they both work together to provide two layers of security and privacy for your Snapchat account. Speaking of security and privacy, not even Snapchat itself can access the Snaps and photos that you move to My Eyes Only, making it impossible to recover them in the event that you forget your passcode.

Snap may, at its discretion, provide limited Snapchat account records to law enforcement and governmental agencies outside the U.S. in response to legal process that is duly authorised in the requesting country and that seeks non-content information such as basic subscriber information and IP data.

Our ability to disclose Snapchat account records is generally governed by the Stored Communications Act, 18 U.S.C. § 2701, et seq. The SCA mandates that we disclose certain Snapchat account records only in response to specific types of legal process, including subpoenas, court orders, and search warrants.

Spyware can be used by anyone, not just hackers

The app can be installed remotely on an iPhone if you have the proper iCloud credentials. For Android phones, someone will need to install it on the phone directly. Once that's done, your messages and more can be intercepted.

Yes, it's definitely possible for someone to spy on your text messages and it's certainly something you should be aware of – this is a potential way for a hacker to gain a lot of private information about you – including accessing PIN codes sent by websites used to verify your identity (such as online banking).

Better Security: Text messages are considered to be more secure than email because they are encrypted end-to-end. This means that the message is only accessible by the sender and recipient, making it a more secure method of communication for sensitive information.

Anyone, not just hackers, can use spyware

One popular app, mSpy, monitors text messages, calls, and social media interactions. The app can be installed remotely on an iPhone if you have the proper iCloud credentials. For Android phones, someone will need physical access to install it.

Is Gmail end-to-end encrypted? ›

Your message is encrypted (encoded) and then decrypted (decoded) several times, passing through Google's servers until it reaches your recipient.

Messages, FaceTime, and Mail. Your iMessages and FaceTime conversations are encrypted end-to-end, so they can't be read while they're sent between devices. Mail lets you go incognito.

Otherwise, you may be violating patient privacy laws. Just be careful how you use screenshots. For example, if you shared a screenshot of someone's private messages or emails and shared them without the person's consent, you would be violating their privacy.

There are also consequences under other laws, such as the Harassment Act. The general rule of the thumb is that you should not take a screenshot of a private message and distribute it more widely – at least not without the other person's permission.

Top 1.

Vault – Hide SMS, Pics & Videos is a very popular free app to hide text messages for Android users. It is designed to hide not only private SMS, but also contacts and images, videos on your phone. All of these need to be accessed via the password.

Maximum of seven days' worth of specified users' text chats (Only when end-to-end encryption has not been elected and applied and only when receiving an effective warrant; however, video, picture, files, location, phone call audio and other such data will not be disclosed).

Messages are encrypted end to end, FBI cannot access them. Signal does not store messages or user data outside of registration date and date of last use. Signal features screen lock and pin to make accessing messages, even with access to device, slightly more difficult to prevent snooping.

To properly hide the app on your device, you would need to turn off notifications, arguably defeating the purpose of an instant messaging app. The feature is rolling out to all Signal users on the Google Play Store. As always, you can download Signal 6.21.

A website can know if you take a screenshot of if you use the browser to do it. A website can also know if you take a screenshot using the print screen button on your keyboard.

There's no way to verify the authenticity of a screenshot. Unlike real photographs, screenshots do not have any metadata such as EXIF, nor can they be fingerprinted by the noise in the photo.

What app does not allow screenshot? ›

Most banking and payment apps block screenshots for security reasons. Chrome blocks screenshots in its Incognito tabs and windows for privacy reasons. Streaming services block screenshots to prevent piracy. Another example would be Telegram's self-destructing photos, where you can't screenshot them.

Instagram used to notify users when someone took a screenshot of their story. However, they have since removed this feature, and you can now take a screenshot of a story without the user finding out. This applies to both photo and video stories, as well as live stories.

To create a more-standardized experience for detecting screenshots, Android 14 introduces a privacy-preserving screenshot detection API. This API lets apps register callbacks on a per-activity basis. These callbacks are invoked, and the user is notified, when the user takes a screenshot while that activity is visible.

One option for Android and iPhone: Signal

One go-to app for folks who want encrypted messages is Signal. It's available on iPhone and Android and is really easy to use. First you download the app then register your phone number.

According to Apple, iMessages are secured with end-to-end encryption (this applies to both text-based and media messages). So even if an iMessage is intercepted, it won't be readable or 'crackable' to the scammer. Note, though, that texts to Android devices are NOT encrypted.

Your iMessages and FaceTime conversations are encrypted end-to-end, so they can't be read while they're sent between devices. Mail lets you go incognito.

So is it safe to text a Social Security number? It's not advisable to text your Social Security number. Your phone can be stolen, and phone messages can be hacked since text messages aren't fully encrypted. So no, it isn't safe to text your Social Security number.

Yes, it's definitely possible for someone to spy on your text messages and it's certainly something you should be aware of – this is a potential way for a hacker to gain a lot of private information about you – including accessing PIN codes sent by websites used to verify your identity (such as online banking).

Can a phone company see your texts? ›

Your provider or "carrier" keeps records of your cellphone use, including calls and text messages, and even pictures sent from your phone. Almost all cellphone carriers give detailed information about a phone's use in billing statements sent to the owner.

Should Voice Be Secure By Default? If you think a phone call is more secure than sending an email, think again. Voice calls can be the least secure way to communicate. Learn more.

Our experiments revealed a malicious actor can remotely access a user's SMS-based 2FA with little effort, through the use of a popular app (name and type withheld for security reasons) designed to synchronise user's notifications across different devices.

Answer. This is the way Android Messages indicates whether the message is being sent via RCS or SMS/MMS protocols. The darker messages are RCS.

iMessages are texts, photos, or videos that you send to another iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac over Wi-Fi or cellular-data networks. These messages are always encrypted and appear in blue text bubbles. To turn iMessage on or off, go to Settings > Messages.

What SMS green texts mean and how to get blue iMessages. If your iPhone messages are green, it means they're being sent as SMS texts rather than iMessages. You'll always see green when texting Android users, or when you're not connected to the internet.