beChat focuses on the essentials: anonymous accounts, encrypted messaging, and a minimal server footprint.
In plain English
Every feature below has a one-line plain-English summary. If the technical line is more than you want, the summary is all you need. For definitions of any term, see the glossary.
Anonymous registration
Your account is created 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. beChat does not require email, phone number, or legal name. A username is optional.
In plain English
You get a random 8-character code, like a gym locker number. The app asks for your name, email, or phone number nowhere in the process.
End-to-end encrypted messages
Messages are encrypted with 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 construction plus post-quantum cryptographic protection. The server stores encrypted blobs but cannot decrypt message content.
In plain English
Your messages are scrambled on your phone and only unscrambled on your contact's phone. The server in the middle only ever sees noise.
Encrypted attachments
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, so file content is protected before it leaves your device.
In plain English
Photos and files are scrambled before they leave your phone, using a hardened variant of the encryption approved for U.S. top-secret documents.
Encrypted local storage
Local message data is stored in 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-encrypted storage keyed by the user's 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.
In plain English
Your chat history on your phone is locked behind your PIN. Without it, even someone holding your phone sees only scrambled noise.
Transport protection
Requests use TLSTLSThe encryption that protects the connection between your phone and a server, the same technology that puts the padlock in your browser. beChat uses it for every request.Open in the glossary, certificate pinningCertificate pinningA rule where your phone only trusts one specific ID badge for the beChat server. So even if someone fakes a badge that looks officially issued, your phone refuses to talk to them.Open in the glossary, and HMAC request signingHMAC request signingA tamper-proof seal on each network request that proves it really came from your account and was not modified on the way. Works alongside TLS for defense in depth.Open in the glossary to protect transport integrity.
In plain English
The connection between your phone and the server is tamper-proof and refuses impostors.
No third-party tracking
beChat does not include analytics, crash reporting, advertising libraries, or third-party SDKsSDKA "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. Android push notifications go through Google Firebase Cloud Messaging, and message notifications carry no content.
In plain English
The app skips analytics, ads, crash reporters, and third-party data collectors entirely. Google's push service delivers notifications but never sees your message content. It does not quietly report home to anyone.
Group chats
Group chats are end-to-end encrypted with 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 (Messaging Layer Security, RFC 9420), the IETF standard for group encryption, using a hybrid post-quantum ciphersuite (X-Wing: ML-KEM-768 combined with X25519). Every membership change moves the group to a new epoch with fresh keys, so a removed member cannot read later messages. The server knows who is in a group so it can deliver messages, but it cannot read what is said.
In plain English
You can talk to several people at once in an encrypted group. Whenever someone joins or leaves, the group changes all its locks, so people who leave can't read what comes next. The server knows which accounts belong to the group so it can deliver the envelopes, but it never sees what anyone says.
1:1 voice and video calls
One-to-one voice and video calls are end-to-end encrypted (WebRTC with DTLS-SRTP, plus extra frame keys derived from the message ratchet). Calls connect directly when the network allows and through a relay otherwise; the relay sees both IP addresses but not the call. Group voice and video calls are not yet available.
In plain English
You can call one other person by voice or video, and the call is scrambled end to end so nobody in between can listen in. Group calls are coming but not ready yet.
Voice messages
Voice notes are encrypted like any other attachment before they leave your device, using 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. The server stores only the encrypted audio blob.
In plain English
Voice notes are scrambled on your phone before they are sent, just like photos and files. The server only ever sees the scrambled version.