Messengers like Telegram are constantly loudly calling out that their “secret chat apps” are the most private and secure messengers out there. But in reality, it turns out it’s more talk than walk. Secret chats do offer encryption, but only after the user turns on the additional mode. You have to “Opt-In” for this additional incognito feature, which means if you’re not aware of this feature or if you don’t always turn it on for each chat, then your chat information may be vulnerable to processing.

What does “secret chat apps” mean?

Just because the word “secret” is being used, the strategy for apps like Telegram, Viber, and Facebook messenger is putting an emphasis on marketing themselves as the safest, to cover up for their imperfection– Encryption NOT BY DEFAULT.

According to leading encryption and security experts, an ongoing security problem is that in times of urgency, the government always requires access to needed information, even when messengers claimed they do not have an entry. And as history has shown, many messengers were able to open a backdoor in times of emergency.

In the case of Secret chat apps, they have a large SECURITY FLAW, a flaw that the government and authorities love: they trick people into thinking that they’re safe but in reality, their regular chats are not encrypted at all. The government and advertisers strive for a system that million will use and trust, but also a system that can easily be accessed whenever needed.

Many Telegram or Messenger users think they are communicating via encryption when they don’t realize that they have to turn on an additional setting.

Contrary to the opinions of almost every encryption and security expert, Telegram (a secret chat app) claims to be more secure than WhatsApp. But in reality, WhatsApp and safe messengers like Zangi use highly-praised encryption protocols and fully encrypt all messages by default.

[Related: The Most Secure Messengers 2018]

If you really care about security you may want to try a truly secure messenger such as Zangi or Signal. With full encryption by default, all chats – including one-on-one chats, group chats, audio calls, and free video chat cannot possibly reach or be accessed by third parties. With this type of encryption, the content of messages can only be decrypted by the recipient’s device. And once a message is deleted, it’s deleted forever.

The Best Encrypted Messaging Apps

If you’re looking for safe alternatives, security experts encourage using encrypted messengers with default encryption and decentralization. Decentralized systems are opting to be the future of all modern communication platforms. These services are more robust, private and reliable than old centralized competitors.

Zangi is the first secure encrypted messenger download to work based on a decentralized, serverless model.

Communication history is not stored on any servers; the entire information is only kept on the user’s device. To keep user communication history completely away from other parties, they have implemented a peer-to-peer technology, which makes sending private information truly private. If you want to learn more about encrypted messaging apps and how to keep your communications always safe, follow this technology blog.