Best Secure Messenger Apps for Android

Millions of people use messaging apps to communicate with friends and relatives. Be it a simple good morning wish, an important document or a bunch of critical passwords; messenger apps are the way to go. However, what if someone in the middle reads your chats? Well, no one can afford their secrets being intercepted by a stranger, right? That being said, we are here with the best secure messenger apps for Android.

Best Secure Messenger Apps for Android

Best Secure Messenger Apps for Android

  1. Telegram
  2. Signal Private Messenger
  3. Threema
  4. Wickr
  5. Silence

Secure Messenger apps use end-to-end encryption (E2EE), i.e., the message is encrypted on your device and also during transmission. It makes sure nobody can read your data, not even the developers of these secure apps.

1] Telegram

Best Secure Messenger Apps for Android

Being WhatsApps’ closest competitor, Telegram has become a well-familiarized messenger app since past few years. It not only encrypts all your messages, but there’s also a unique “Secret Chats” feature. Secure Chat allows one to send self-destructing texts, stickers, media, and files. Cloud chats use Server-client encryption. Secret Chats, on the other hand, use an additional layer of client-client encryption. The encryption is based on 256-bit symmetric AES encryption, 2048-bit RSA encryption, and Diffie–Hellman Secure key exchange.

Moreover, Telegram makes use of MTProto protocol. It is built upon time-tested algorithms to make security harmonious with quick delivery and reliability on weak connections. The same makes it relatively more secure than mass market messengers like WhatsApp and Line.

Download Telegram here! Also, try- Telegram X

2] Signal Private Messenger

Best Secure Messenger Apps for Android

Notably, Signal is one of the most downloaded secure messenger apps, thanks to its open source character and transparency. All your chats are end-to-end encrypted. Even the apps’ servers don’t store any of your conversations. Interestingly, it is one of the rare messaging apps that use cryptographic protocols to keep your messages safe. However, the user interface is quite primary, no fancy stuff here!

You can also use Signal Private Messenger to send disappearing texts, voice messages and even make voice calls. If you’re looking for an ideal secure messenger app for Android, Signal is the way to go.

Download Signal Private Messenger here!

3] Threema

Best Secure Messenger Apps for Android

With over a million downloads, Threema has emerged to be one of the most trusted secure mobile messaging app that puts security and privacy first. Priced at Rs. 200/$2.99, Threema is made to keep your data out of from the reach of government, corporation, and hackers.

Instead of asking for an email ID or phone number while registering, Threema provides you with a unique Threema ID. You can optionally link your e-mail and phone. Everything ranging from voice calls, group chats, files, and even status messages go through end-to-end encryption.

Details like groups & contacts are stored on the device’s local storage. Once the message reaches the end user, they are no longer available on the servers. Looking upon the features it offers, it is evident that the developers have made sure your privacy remains intact, no matter what. If you want a paid messenger app, don’t forget to try Threema.

Download Threema here!

4] Wickr Me- Private Messenger

Best Secure Messenger Apps for Android

Wickr offers a unique feature dubbed as “Shredder” as its main highlight. The same allows irreversible deletion of all your chats, shared media contents from your device. You can also set an “Expiration Timer” for your messages.

Talking about security features, Wickr cryptographically hashes your username, application ID and device ID with multiple rounds of salted SHA256. The data, however, is protected with AES256 encryption. Furthermore, each message has a new encryption key. Once the receiver reads the message, the key is not available anymore. Wickr never stores your device ID. It means you are always anonymous to them. Also, it forensically wipes all your content from the device after it expires for safety purpose.

Download Wickr-Me Private Messenger here!

5] Silence

Best Secure Messenger Apps for Android

Formerly known as SMS Secure, Silence is more of an open-source secure SMS client. Mainly, Silence uses Axolotl encryption protection to provide end-to-end encryption between you and other Silence users. If you prefer using SMS instead of cloud messaging, then Silence could be one of the most secure ways to do so.

Notably, Silence communicates using the SMS protocol. Hence, there is no need of servers or internet connection for its functioning. It uses the same level encryption from Signal messenger but doesn’t have secure voice calls like it.

Before sending a message with Silence, click on the lock icon available on the top bar. This will start an encrypted SMS session. Then, selecting “Start secure session” and tapping yes. After that, Silence will manage everything on its own, and you’ll see an option to “Send secure SMS.”

Download Silence here!

Final Words

We are living in an age of online surveillance and data logging where privacy has become a myth. Not only hackers, but even companies are willing to do anything to grab personal information of consumers. Private messages are being hijacked and used for unethical purposes.

Therefore, to stay on the safer side, always use secure messenger apps for Android mentioned in the list above. Do let us know what’s your favorite amongst all. Feel free to comment your queries below.

About the author

Ritik Singh

Being a tech aficionado, Ritik is highly fanatic about smartphones and computers since childhood. He has good experience in reviewing gadgets and loves shooting random videos. Above all, he believes in continuous learning and is ardent about writing on tech.