beChat

Open beta on Android

Private messaging without a phone number.

beChat is an end-to-end encrypted messenger from Europe. You sign up with a random PIN instead of your number or email, and every chat is protected with post-quantum keys: a Double RatchetDouble RatchetThe key-ratcheting construction beChat implements for end-to-end encryption, the same mechanism Signal and WhatsApp use. It generates a brand-new key for every message so a single compromised key does not expose past or future messages.Open in the glossary with ML-KEM-1024ML-KEMThe post-quantum key-exchange algorithm beChat uses to let two phones agree on a shared secret that a future quantum computer cannot figure out. Standardized by NIST as FIPS 203.Open in the glossary and ML-DSA-87ML-DSAThe post-quantum signature algorithm beChat uses to prove who sent a message and that it was not tampered with. Standardized by NIST as FIPS 204.Open in the glossary for one-to-one chats, and MLSMLS (Messaging Layer Security)An IETF standard (RFC 9420) for end-to-end encrypted group chats. The group shares a tree of keys that changes whenever someone joins or leaves, so people who leave cannot read later messages. beChat uses it with a post-quantum key exchange for all group chats.Open in the glossary for groups. The server is hosted in Germany and has no key to your messages.

Get it on Google Play How it works

Free. iOS and desktop are in development. Platform status

On your phone

Are we still on for 7?
Yes. Same place as last time.

On the beChat server

To
recipient PIN
Size
1.4 KB
Sent
18:42
Content
9f3a c1e0 77b2 04de 5a91 e3c8 0b6f 2d14 a8c7 39e5 f0b1 6c22…
The server delivers the envelope and keeps routing details like the recipient and the time. It has no key for what is inside.

No identifiers to sign up

Your account is a random 8-character PINPIN (in beChat)A random 8-character code your phone generates when you install beChat. It is your account identity, like a gym locker number. It is not a password you choose, and it says nothing about who you are.Open in the glossary. No phone number, email, or name.

Post-quantum by default

One-to-one chats use NIST-standardized ML-KEM-1024 and ML-DSA-87 alongside X25519 and Ed25519. Groups use MLS with a hybrid ML-KEM-768 and X25519 key exchange.

Hosted in Germany

An independent European host, not a US cloud. The service is governed by Belgian law.

What that means, without the jargon

beChat is a chat app where only you and the person you're talking to can read your messages. The company that runs it, your phone company, and a hacker on the network all see scrambled data.

Want the deeper version? Read What is post-quantum encryption? or browse the plain-English glossary.

You register with a code, not your identity.
Most chat apps demand your phone number. That number is tied to your real identity and can be hijacked with a SIM swap. beChat gives you a random 8-character code instead, like a gym locker number. It opens your locker; it says nothing about who you are.
Nobody else can open your messages.
Think of the beChat server as a post office that delivers sealed envelopes. It can read the address on each envelope so it knows where to deliver it, but it has no letter opener and no master key. The envelopes only open on your phone and your contact's phone.
Every message gets its own lock.
If someone somehow picked the lock on one message, the other messages would stay sealed. Old keys are thrown away after use.
Built for a future supercomputer.
Scientists are building a new kind of machine, a quantum computer, that could one day crack today's encryption. beChat adds a newer kind of lock, standardized by NIST for exactly this threat, so messages recorded today are much harder to unlock later.
Hosted in Europe.
The beChat server runs on an independent hosting provider in Germany, and the service is governed by Belgian and European law. It is not on Amazon, Google, or Microsoft cloud, and there is no advertising parent company to feed your data to.
No spies inside the app.
beChat skips analytics, ads, crash-reporting tools, and third-party tracking code. Android push notifications go through Google Firebase Cloud Messaging; message notifications only say "something arrived," with no content and no sender. Viewing a shared location loads map tiles from OpenStreetMap.

What's inside

All features

Anonymous accounts

Register with an auto-generated 8-character PINPIN (in beChat)A random 8-character code your phone generates when you install beChat. It is your account identity, like a gym locker number. It is not a password you choose, and it says nothing about who you are.Open in the glossary and a device identifierDevice fingerprintA random identifier the beChat app creates for your device. beChat pairs it with your PIN to recognize your device, without ever collecting your name, email, or phone number.Open in the glossary. The app never asks for your email, phone number, or name. A username is optional.

Post-quantum encryption

Double RatchetDouble RatchetThe key-ratcheting construction beChat implements for end-to-end encryption, the same mechanism Signal and WhatsApp use. It generates a brand-new key for every message so a single compromised key does not expose past or future messages.Open in the glossary plus ML-KEM-1024ML-KEMThe post-quantum key-exchange algorithm beChat uses to let two phones agree on a shared secret that a future quantum computer cannot figure out. Standardized by NIST as FIPS 203.Open in the glossary and ML-DSA-87ML-DSAThe post-quantum signature algorithm beChat uses to prove who sent a message and that it was not tampered with. Standardized by NIST as FIPS 204.Open in the glossary for one-to-one chats, and MLSMLS (Messaging Layer Security)An IETF standard (RFC 9420) for end-to-end encrypted group chats. The group shares a tree of keys that changes whenever someone joins or leaves, so people who leave cannot read later messages. beChat uses it with a post-quantum key exchange for all group chats.Open in the glossary with a hybrid post-quantum key exchange for groups. Forward secrecyForward secrecyA property where every message uses its own fresh key, so a key stolen today cannot unlock messages sent yesterday or tomorrow. The Double Ratchet provides this automatically.Open in the glossary by default.

Zero-knowledge server

The server stores and forwards encrypted blobs. It cannot read message content or plaintextPlaintextThe readable, unscrambled version of a message or file. This is what encryption protects. beChat never sends plaintext over the network or stores it on the server.Open in the glossary attachments.

Hosted in Europe

The server runs on an independent European hosting provider in Germany, and the service is governed by Belgian and European law.

No tracking SDKs

The app ships without analytics, crash reporting, advertising, or third-party data-collection librariesSDKA "software development kit," a bundle of third-party code an app can include. Many apps include analytics or advertising SDKs that quietly collect your behavior. beChat includes none of those.Open in the glossary.

On-device encryption

Your local history lives in a SQLCipherSQLCipherAn encrypted version of the database that stores your chat history on your phone. It is locked by your PIN, so without the PIN even someone holding your phone sees only scrambled noise.Open in the glossary database keyed from your PIN and, on supported phones, the hardware keystore. Attachments are encrypted with AES-256-GCM-SIVAES-256-GCM-SIVThe encryption beChat uses to scramble message content and attachments. It is a hardened variant of AES-256-GCM, the standard the U.S. government approves for top-secret documents, designed to stay safe even if a nonce is accidentally reused.Open in the glossary before upload.

What the server sees, and what it doesn't

Security model

Never readable by the server

  • Message text, photos, videos, files, and voice notes
  • Your call audio and video
  • Your encryption keys and ratchet state
  • Your phone number, email, or legal name (it never asks)

Kept to deliver your messages

  • Your PIN, device identifier, and public keys
  • Who is a contact or group member of whom
  • Routing details: recipient, message size, and time
  • Request IP addresses, in a 30-day audit log

An anonymous Signal alternative from Europe

If you want the encryption of Signal without handing over your phone number, beChat is built for you. It implements the same Double Ratchet mechanism for end-to-end encryption, adds post-quantum protection on top, and registers you with an anonymous PIN instead of a phone number or email. The server runs in Germany, under European law.

Learn how beChat works in detail, explore the feature list, or see how it compares with other messengers.

Frequently asked questions

Quick answers to the most common questions about beChat. For the full list, see the FAQ page.

Do I need a phone number to use beChat?

No. beChat never asks for a phone number, email address, or legal name. When you install the app, it generates a random 8-character PIN on your device and pairs it with a device identifier the app creates. Your account is identified to the server by these values. There is no SIM card, telecom contract, or SMS verification involved.

Can my ISP see my beChat messages?

No, your ISP cannot see the content of your beChat messages. Messages are end-to-end encrypted with a Double Ratchet construction extended with post-quantum cryptography, and the connection to the beChat server is protected with TLS and certificate pinning. Your ISP can see that you are connecting to bechat.world, but it cannot read message plaintext, attachment contents, or the post-quantum handshake. The beChat server itself only stores encrypted message blobs and cannot decrypt them either.

Can the beChat server read my messages?

No. The plaintext of your messages and attachments is never sent to or stored on the server, and there is no server-side key that can decrypt your conversations. To deliver messages, the server does keep your PIN, device identifier, public keys, contacts and group memberships, encrypted message blobs, and routing details such as recipient, size, and time. Request IP addresses are kept in a 30-day audit log.

Is beChat end-to-end encrypted?

Yes. beChat implements the Double Ratchet, the same key-ratcheting mechanism Signal and WhatsApp use, so every message uses a fresh key derived from a ratcheting chain. Compromising one message key does not expose past or future messages. Attachments are encrypted with AES-256-GCM-SIV before they leave your device.

Does beChat use post-quantum encryption?

Yes. On top of the classical handshake, beChat performs a post-quantum key exchange using ML-KEM-1024, and signs device and message keys with ML-DSA-87 alongside Ed25519. These are NIST-standardized post-quantum algorithms (FIPS 203 and 204). This protects your messages against "harvest now, decrypt later" attacks where an adversary records ciphertext today to break it once a quantum computer exists.

Is beChat anonymous?

beChat never learns your name, phone number, or email. Accounts are created with an auto-generated 8-character PIN and a device identifier, and messages are end-to-end encrypted so the server cannot read them. The app ships no analytics, crash reporting, advertising, or third-party data-collection SDKs. The server does see which PINs talk to each other and the IP address your requests come from, so beChat keeps your identity and content private, but not the fact that you use it.

Is beChat a good Signal alternative?

If you want end-to-end encryption without handing over your phone number, beChat is worth a look. It implements the same Double Ratchet mechanism Signal uses for message encryption and adds post-quantum protection on top. The beChat server is hosted in Germany and the service is governed by Belgian law. The trade-off is that beChat is in open beta on Android, has not had an independent audit yet, and does not have the polish or network size of Signal.

Is beChat available for iOS?

Not yet. beChat is in open beta on Android only, distributed through Google Play. An iOS build is planned and the iOS codebase is in development, but there is no public TestFlight or App Store listing at this time. See the download page for current platform status.

Join the open beta

beChat is free and available now on Android through Google Play. Questions, bug reports, and ideas are welcome on r/beChat.

Get beChat on Google Play Community (r/beChat)