The Best and Most Secure Chat Apps for your Smartphone

 It is an easy way to use messaging apps to keep in touch with your family, friends, and co-workers. While using these apps, it is important to be aware of online security and privacy. 

The apps make it easy to connect and communicate with people around the globe. However, with advanced ways to connect and communicate through technology, there are new ways for your security and privacy to be violated. 

We live in an era of data logging and internet surveillance. Government organizations and agencies sometimes want permissions to private communication; we have had cases of CIA hacking trials and to gain unauthorized access by the FBI.

The messaging apps have appeared by providing rich service offering all kinds of communication with other from free messaging to video and voice calling, file and photo sharing with the added advantage of coding. 

In this blog, there are some best apps you will find for both iOS and Android. 

Points to consider 

The security concern of the main messaging app is the extent to which third parties potentially can read private texts, the companies responsible for such apps, or even governments that gather information on their persons. 

The points to consider when evaluating messaging app security are: 

•  Open source code

Open source code means the app can openly use auditing and accountability by experts which can be a useful way to bring attention to vulnerabilities or weaknesses in the code.

•    Self-destructing messages 

           Disappearing or self-destructing messages vanish after a set time period, focusing on your selected settings.

• Data usage

Whilst many secure messaging apps use end-to-end coding, they still can gather information about you, called metadata. This has information like who you talk to, for how much time, and on which device, phone number, and your IP address. 

The best apps for secure messaging and communication

There are many options available out there to choose a secure messaging program that focuses on information security. Some of the best and secured messaging apps are: 

1. Tamil Chat Room

The Tamil chat room app is perfect to meet girls and boys online and talk with them. The app helps to connect with people and helps to find new friends globally. 

Features:

Simple user interface

Unlimited Tamil online chat rooms

Grouped and private chat online chat rooms 

Register yourself and start online chatting

2. Signal 

This service is dedicated to end-to-end coded voice calling and texting. Generally it is known as one of the most secured messaging app available on the market.

It is a free app and available for both iOS and Android operating systems. Desktop version is also available for Mac, Linux and Windows. You just need a phone number to join this. 

Features: 

Open-source

The open-source code can be seen by anyone. This type of transparency lets for normal auditing and make sure that security of the app is updated.

Disappearing messages

Signals also to make both the received and sent messages invisible after specific time period for extra security. 

Minimal data storage

Like many other messaging apps, signal stores the metadata needed for the app to work, like phone number, profile information and random keys. 

Password security

The app lets you to set password for locking purpose. So if your phone gets into the wrong hands, your messages will be still secured. 

3. Wickr

It is available for both Android and iPhone, it has changed itself from the pack providing secure messaging options for business and enterprises (Wickr Pro) and personal use (Wickr Me). 

Screenshot detection 

Recently the app has announced that they are offering a new feature that lets users to locate screenshots. You will get notified if someone tries to take a screenshot of a sent message. 

Screen overlay protection

Wickr has released a new feature on Android devices that lets users disable “Screen Overlays”. This hinders users from interacting with the app with detection of an overlay, and helps protection of app from TapJacking. 

Third party keyboards

This app allows you to block keyboard of the Third Party. This assists to protect your data by preventing keyboards of the third party from recording passwords, usernames and other typed information into the app.