FlatFold

FlatFold is a private messenger for the people you actually talk to. Messages are end-to-end encrypted on your device, so only you and the person you are talking to can read them.

You sign up with a username and a password. There is no directory to browse and no way for strangers to find you by scrolling: someone has to know your exact username, and you decide whether to let them through.

It does the ordinary things, privately. One-to-one and group chats, photos, files, and voice notes, all encrypted end to end. Messages that disappear on a timer when you want them to. Notifications that do not put your conversations on the lock screen.

You are in control of who can reach you. Approve or decline anyone new, block someone at any time, report a conversation if something is wrong, and delete your own messages for everyone in the chat. There is no tolerance for abusive users or objectionable content, and reports are reviewed.

The whole thing is open source, which matters for a messenger. Asking people to trust an encrypted app and then hiding how it works did not sit right, so the code is public and there is a plain-language page in the app listing everything the server stores.

No ads, no trackers, no analytics, and nothing about you to sell.