The best encrypted instant messaging apps for Android make it simple and easy to keep your chats, calls, and videos private and secure.
Messaging apps have been common in Android smartphones (opens in new tab) since their release, but while there are an increasing number of privacy apps (opens in new tab) available, there are also a growing number of encrypted chat apps.
These aim to better protect users in an internet world where marketing (opens in new tab) companies are increasingly trying to not just track users but also read their messages. Additionally, private messaging traditionally involves copies of your chat sessions to be saved on the company servers (opens in new tab), which could be exposed and published online by a successful hack attack.
Encrypted instant messaging ensures privacy (opens in new tab) and security by making sure that only the person you are sending your messages to can actually read them. Powerful encryption software (opens in new tab) built into the messaging apps means that any third-party intercepting those messages will not be able to read them.
With the ever-increasingly popularity of Android phones, encrypted apps have become increasingly popular. Here we feature the best encrypted instant messaging apps currently available.
We've also featured the best privacy tools and anonymous browsers.
Best encrypted messaging apps for Android of 2023 in full:
Why you can trust TechRadar Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.
Element is a genuinely interesting and appealing secure messaging platform that will appeal to individual users and businesses alike. It's reliable, it comes with just about all the features that you're likely to need, it's simple to set up, and it has some of the best security and privacy features in the business – if you want to escape the clutches of the big tech giants, this is well worth a look.
For consumers, the biggest problem might be getting all your friends and family to switch over to something new – Element doesn't have quite the same polish as the likes of iMessage, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, Slack and the rest, and of course it's not as widely used. The best fit for Element might be those who have the time and resources to really invest in it, including servers and bridges to other apps.
Overall, the Element messenger platform scores highly for its approach to security and its commitment to decentralization, and it's definitely going to be of interest to businesses wanting control over their own chats – as well as plenty of individual users as well.
Read our full Element secure messenger review (opens in new tab).
Signal is widely regarded as the gold standard of encrypted messaging apps, not least because its encryption engine is open source and available for anyone to inspect. That doesn't make it any easier to hack, but it does mean there are a lot more pairs of eyes looking at the robustness of the encryption methods.
Besides the industry-leading encryption on offer here, the app itself is fairly plain and basic in terms of visuals and appearance. It does support group chats though, as well as the sending of files and photos in addition to text, so you're going to be pretty well covered no matter what your needs.
Signal can replace the default SMS app if you want it to, but basic SMS texts aren't encrypted – you and the person you're chatting with both need to have Signal installed for the encryption feature to function properly, otherwise Signal doesn't have enough control over both ends of the conversation.
The app also includes several other useful features on top of the tight security, such as video calling, and disappearing messages that vanish after a certain time period (perfect for those conversations you don't want to stay on the record).
Read our full Signal review (opens in new tab).
You're no doubt already familiar with WhatsApp as one of the best messaging apps out there, but you might not have realized that it offers end-to-end encryption for your messages – in fact, it uses the super-strong encryption protocol developed by Signal.
There's very little that WhatsApp can't do. As well as the standard text-based conversations, it's able to handle video calls, group chats, location sharing, and the transferring of files of various types. You can ping a lot of people at once with the Broadcast feature, leave voice memos, and more besides.
WhatsApp's immense popularity works in its favor as well, because the chances are that the people in your contacts list already have it installed to keep in touch with friends and family. All those chats are fully encrypted by default – there's no way to turn this off.
What might give you pause when it comes to using this app is that it is, of course, owned by Facebook, which means you're contributing to the data collection practices of the world's biggest social network. Facebook can't read your messages (the end-to-end encryption prevents that), but it can log other data about you for marketing purposes, like the location of your phone.
Read our full Whatsapp review (opens in new tab).
Telegram is almost as well-respected as Signal is, although its encryption methods aren't open source and thus haven't been as well audited by third-party security experts. What it does have in its favor is a slicker interface, if that's important to you.
Another caveat about Telegram is that end-to-end encryption isn't enabled by default, so you need to make sure the Secret mode is activated before you can be sure that no one else is going to tap into your communications. Other types of chat and file transfer are encrypted, but only for part of their journey to other parties.
Those issues aside, Telegram impresses in most areas, with features like chat backups and disappearing messages (messages with expiry times attached). You can load up group chats, make video calls and more, and in use it's just as responsive and intuitive as the other messaging apps out there.
If you need all the bells and whistles of an instant messenger, like stickers and audio memos, and even basic photo and video editing software, Telegram is a solid choice. Just be sure to enable the Secret mode for the most secure messaging.
Read our full Telegram review (opens in new tab).
Threema is another secure messaging app that aims to keep your data out of the hands of corporations and governments. The app can be used anonymously, and it's not just messages but also phone calls that can be securely encrypted.
While secure connections are the mainstay of many messengers, Threema goes one further by ensuring no contact details are saved on their servers, and any messaging data that goes through them is immediately deleted once sent.
The result is that local files remain on your phone, rather than in the open on third-party servers where the information could be intercepted by hackers or data-collection agencies.
For all its security considerations, Threema is still a fully-functional messaging app, that allows you to send images, files, videos, and locations, as well as create groups and set up polls among trusted users.
There's no need to sign in with an email or other personally identifiable information, reducing the amount of data required to use it. All in all, Threema offers a very secure experience with security and anonymity in mind.
Read our full Threema review (opens in new tab).
The unfussy, no-frills Silence focuses on keeping your messages safe and secure, with other considerations – like animated animal stickers – some way down the priority list. It deals directly with SMS and MMS, rather than chat protocols that work over the web.
It is in fact a spin-off from Signal, and uses the same open source, ultra-secure encryption methods – regularly audited by security experts in public view to make sure the code hasn't been cracked or unlocked by whatever government agency wants to get its hands on your conversation history. If you wanted to, you could use Silence and Signal together.
So you get all of the benefits of SMS/MMS, like the ability to use it without Wi-Fi, as well as all the drawbacks, like limited support for group chats and no video calling. As you're using SMS/MMS, your phone network can tell who you're texting, even if it can't tell what's being said thanks to the encryption applied.
To make sure everything is secured as it should be, you need to enter a unique passphrase to keep the app locked. On top of that, it can stop your communications being screen-shotted at the other end, for extra peace of mind.
Read our full Silence review (opens in new tab).
We've also featured the best mobile payment apps. (opens in new tab)
Which encrypted messaging app is best for you?
When deciding which encrypted messaging app to use, first consider what your actual needs are, as budget software may only provide basic options, so if you need to use advanced tools you may find a more expensive platform is much more worthwhile. Additionally, higher-end software can usually cater for every need, so do ensure you have a good idea of which features you think you may require from your encrypted messaging app.
How we tested the best encrypted messaging app
To test for the best encrypted messaging app we first set up an account with the relevant software platform, then we tested the service to see how the software performed when accessed by different devices, as well as testing any additional tools that were provided. The aim was to push each encrypted messaging app platform to see how useful its basic tools were and also how easy it was to get to grips with any more advanced tools.
Read more on how we test, rate, and review products on TechRadar (opens in new tab).
