Guide
What makes a messenger private
Almost every messaging app calls itself private. The word can mean very different things. For one app it means encrypted messages. For another it means no advertising. A private messenger is one where the content of your conversations, the people you talk to and the account you use are all handled with as little exposure as possible. This guide walks through what to look for, and shows how Morse Messenger answers each point.
Get Morse MessengerPrivate is more than encrypted
End-to-end encryption is the foundation. It means only the people in a conversation can read what is said.
The service that delivers the message cannot read it. Neither can anyone who intercepts it on the way.
But encryption protects content. It does not decide what an app knows about you before the first message is sent.
To register, most apps ask for a phone number. To find your friends, many ask for your address book.
So two apps with the same encryption can offer very different levels of privacy.
What you hand over to sign up
The first privacy decision happens on the sign-up screen.
A phone number is a strong identifier. It is usually registered to your name, it rarely changes, and it is the same number your bank, your employer and your family use.
When a messenger is built on phone numbers, every conversation starts from that identifier.
Morse works differently. You create an account without a phone number or email, and you receive a Morse ID that you share when you want to talk to someone.
That also means no SIM card is needed. Morse works on Wi-Fi alone.
How contacts are found
The second question is how the app connects you to other people.
Many messengers ask to read your address book. That is convenient: the app shows you at once who else uses it.
It also means the people in your address book become part of the picture, including those who never installed the app.
A private messenger keeps this step in your hands.
In Morse there is no address-book upload and no public user directory. Contacts are added intentionally, with a Morse ID, a QR code or an invitation.
Nobody can look you up with a number they happen to have. See how Morse works.
Metadata
What exists around the message
Even when content is encrypted, a service still handles some information in order to deliver a message.
This is called metadata. It can include which account a message is for and when it was sent.
No online service works without any of it. What differs is how much is needed, how closely it is tied to your identity and how long it is kept.
A private messenger is designed to keep this to a minimum.
Morse is designed to minimize identity and delivery data. Messages and media are encrypted before they leave your device, and encrypted delivery data is kept only as long as delivery and expiry require.
Who pays for the app
A messenger costs money to run. Servers, development and support all have to be paid for.
How an app is funded shapes what it is built to do.
Some messengers are paid for by advertising, or by a parent company whose business is advertising. Some run on donations. Some are paid for directly by the people who use them.
Morse is funded by a user subscription. It has no advertising and builds no behavioral profiles.
You can subscribe in the app or buy an activation code.
Calls, groups and media count too
Private messaging is not only text.
Photos, videos, voice messages, group chats and calls carry at least as much personal information as written messages.
When you compare messengers, check that the protection covers all of them, and that it is on by default instead of a mode you have to switch on.
In Morse, messages, photos, videos and voice messages, group chats and voice and video calls are end-to-end encrypted, with post-quantum key exchange.
A short checklist
When you evaluate a messenger, these points cover most of what matters. Morse meets every one of them.
Messages, media and calls are end-to-end encrypted by default
You can create an account without a phone number or email
It works without a SIM card and without uploading your address book
There is no public profile or directory you cannot opt out of
It is paid for by its users, with no advertising
Few messengers tick every box.
Download Morse Messenger to try one that does.
A private messenger that ticks every box
No phone number, no SIM card, no address book, no ads. Set up in a minute.
Compare
How Morse compares
The best-known messengers make different choices on each of these points.
WhatsApp, Signal and Telegram all start from a phone number. Threema and Session do not, but each leaves something out that Morse includes.
The comparisons below go through them one by one.
Summary
Private by default, not by setting
A private messenger is not defined by one feature.
It is the combination: encrypted content, an account that is not built on your phone number, contacts you add on purpose, and a business that does not depend on your data.
Morse was built around that combination. Download Morse Messenger and see for yourself.
FAQ
Common questions about private messengers
Related
Related guides
These pages go deeper into the topics above.
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