These days, privacy feels more like a rare privilege. If keeping your chats truly private matters to you, choosing the right messaging app is important. But with every app touting end-to-end encryption and next-level privacy, it’s tough to separate reality from marketing jargon. So, we rolled up our sleeves to find out which is the best private messaging app available for Android.
We’ve compared private messaging apps like WhatsApp, Google Messages, and Telegram with privacy-first apps like Signal, Session, and Threema to see which one comes out on top. This article dives into each app’s core privacy features, examines their track records, and explores how well they safeguard your data.
Let’s kick things off with a quick comparison table highlighting the key privacy features:
| Feature | Google Messages | Telegram | Signal | Session | Threema | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| End-to-End Encryption | Partial Yes (Only for RCS chats) | Yes (default) | Optional (Secret Chats only) | Yes (default) | Yes (default) | Yes (default) |
| Backup Encryption | No | Yes (But need to enable manually) | No (cloud backups not E2EE) | Yes (local backups) | Yes (local backups) | Yes (local backups) |
| Key Change Alerts | No | Yes | No (even for Secret Chats) | Yes | No (not needed) | Yes |
| Open-Source | No | Partial (some libraries) | Partial (client-side only) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Metadata Handling | Moderate | Moderate | Extensive | Minimal | Minimal | Minimal |
| Anonymous Accounts | No (requires phone number) | No (requires phone number) | No (requires phone number) | No (requires phone number) | Yes (Session ID) | Yes (Threema ID) |
| Username System | No | No | Yes (username system) | Yes (added in 2024) | Yes (Session ID) | Yes (Threema ID) |
| App Lock | No | Yes | Yes | Yes | yes | Yes |
| Authentication (2FA) | No 2FA | Yes (via WhatsApp PIN) | Yes (via SMS and password) | Yes (via Signal PIN) | Yes (via Session PIN) | No 2FA |
Let’s break down the essential privacy features and see how each messaging app stacks up against the others.
Table of Contents
End-to-End Encryption (E2EE)
End-to-end encryption ensures that only you and the person you’re communicating with can read the messages. No one else—not even the app or your internet provider can see them in the middle. This is a fundamental requirement for anyone seeking privacy. Apps like Signal, Session, and Threema offer E2EE by default, making them the most secure. WhatsApp also offers E2EE but is owned by Meta which does raise concerns given their history.
While Telegram has a reputation for privacy, chats aren’t E2E encrypted by default. You need to manually start Secret Chats, which takes a few additional and isn’t exactly convenient. Plus, following the CEO’s recent arrest, Telegram mentioned it may share data with law enforcement, which casts doubt on its privacy promises.
Google Messages only encrypts RCS chats, and even then, only if the person you’re chatting with is using a compatible app. For example, RCS messages with iPhone users aren’t encrypted. That makes it confusing to know when your chats are secure, so it’s not the best choice for privacy-conscious users.
Backup Encryption
It’s not enough for messages to be encrypted while being sent—they should also be encrypted when backed up. Unfortunately, Google Messages and Telegram also fall short here, as they don’t offer any encryption for backups.
On Android, WhatsApp stores backups in Google Drive without encryption by default. While WhatsApp introduced E2EE backups at the start of 2024, users need to enable it manually. This means even if WhatsApp messages are E2EE and you have enabled E2EE for backups too, your friends may not enable them leaving a flaw in the privacy.
All privacy-first messaging apps—like Signal, Session, and Threema—offer E2EE local backups, giving you the highest level of privacy. Bit if you prefer cloud backups but still want to keep your messages private, WhatsApp is the best option. Just be sure to enable E2EE backups in Settings.
Key Change Alerts
The encryption key changes when any user changes the device, reinstalls the app, or in rare cases even updates the app. The messages will be encrypted automatically but if you prefer to verify the encryption, some apps like WhatsApp, Threema, and Signal provide you alerts when the key is changed.
Telegram and Google Messages not only lack encryption but also fail to alert when the key is changed.
Session on the other end uses a decentralized network for encryption and communication is routed through a network of nodes. This decentralized setup ensures that even if a new device joins a conversation, the integrity of the encryption remains intact, reducing the need for constant key change alerts.
Open-Source
Open-source apps allow for transparency and community auditing. Signal, Session, and Threema are fully open-source, while WhatsApp and Telegram have limited open-source components. Google Messages is entirely closed-source, which reduces trustworthiness.
Metadata Handling
Along with the message data, these apps also handle metadata such as contacts we are communicating with, timestamps of messages, location services, IP address etc. Some companies use this data for their own needs while some messaging apps also keep such data secure.
To keep it simple, Signal, Session, and Threema prioritize minimizing metadata collection. WhatsApp and Google Messages collect moderate amounts of metadata. Telegram is known for extensive metadata collection, which may compromise user privacy.
Anonymous Accounts and Username
Most messaging apps require a phone number to create an account. But if you want to stay completely anonymous and detached from your phone, your only options are Threema and Session. Both services rely entirely on usernames.
If you just want to hide your phone number from others, Telegram, Signal, Session, and Threema offer that option. This way, you don’t have to share your phone number to start chatting with someone—only a username is visible.
App Lock and Authenticator
App lock is a handy feature that keeps your messages safe from prying eyes. All major apps—WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Session, and Threema—offer native app lock features, except for Google Messages.
2FA adds an extra layer of security to prevent unauthorized access. However, Google Messages and Threema do not support 2FA. That said, the absence of 2FA isn’t a major deal breaker compared to more critical privacy features like E2EE and username-based messaging systems.
Other Privacy Features
In addition to the essentials, privacy-focused apps like Signal, Session, and Threema offer various other privacy tools, including:
- Auto-deleting messages
- Screenshot protection
- Privacy reports
- Stealth mode
While WhatsApp also supports auto-deleting messages, Telegram and Google Messages fall short, offering none of these extra privacy features.
So, Which is the Best Private Messages App on Android
That’s a lot to take so let me simplify it for you.
We can easily remove Google Messages and Telegram from consideration, as they don’t offer basic privacy features like E2EE properly or by default.
WhatsApp might look like a good solution, however, its parent company Meta is not known for being privacy-friendly. Also, it collects a lot of meta data and its backup is not E2EE by default leaving room for improvement.
This leaves us with Signal, Session, and Threema. They all offer encryption, minimal metadata handling, and transparency of an open-source app. They also come with a variety of additional privacy features such as screenshot protection and app locks. But Session and Threema have certain trade-offs:
- Session might offer decentralized communication and complete anonymity, however, its decentralized nature can sometimes lead to performance issues such as message delays or lag.
- Threema excels in privacy and open-source transparency but has a couple of limitations. First, it’s a paid app starting from $2/month subscription. It is also a B2B first app prioritizing businesses over individuals. Additionally, Threema lacks automatic key change alerts and 2FA support.
So, at the end, we will pick Signal as the best private messaging app as it offers all the needed privacy features. The app offers everything you need for privacy while being completely open-source and free, except for needing a phone number to get started. A nonprofit organization runs the app, receiving funding from donations and grants rather than trying to make money from users. But you can make Signal even more private by following the below tips:
