v2.7.0 - much less background data

Much less data in the background.

• Checking for new messages in the background now uses far less data: the app holds the connection open longer instead of reconnecting constantly, and skips redundant lookups on secured chats.
• Roughly 50% less background data with the new Data saver off, and around 60% less with it on - on mobile data the saver also stops background update checks and eases off further when the connection drops.
• New setting in Settings -> Background data: Automatic (saves only on mobile data), Always, or Never.
• Messages stay end-to-end encrypted; only the checking overhead shrinks, so nothing about delivery changes.

v2.6.1 - fixes and polish

Bug fixes and polish.

• The message input now grows smoothly as you add lines, and the chat above it slides up so the input bar never covers your last message.
• The keyboard now closes properly when you leave a conversation (no longer lingering outside incognito mode).
• More reliable Cloudflare connection (idle long-polls no longer time out) and lower battery use after switching back to Tor.
• Small privacy and stability improvements from a project-wide audit.

v2.6.0 - choose Tor or Cloudflare connection

Version 2.6.0 - choose how you connect.

• On first launch you can now pick how the app reaches the server: over Tor (recommended, maximum privacy) or directly via Cloudflare (faster and lighter on the battery).

• Messages stay end-to-end encrypted either way - the choice only affects network metadata like your IP address.

• Change it anytime in Settings - Chat server.

Both phones stay compatible - no need to update together. Download and install the APK below (Android 8.0+).

v2.5.0 - accent bubbles and settings cleanup

Version 2.5.0 - accent-coloured chat bubbles and a tidier settings screen.

• Your sent messages now follow the accent colour you pick in Appearance, each accent a distinct light shade - so the choice finally shows in the chat.

• The app-lock delay is now a compact switch instead of a tall list.

• Settings cleanup - removed a few rarely-used options: copying the key to the clipboard, the file-size limit, and pausing update reminders.

• Removed the older, duplicate key verification; the security code from key rotation is the one to use.

Both phones stay compatible - no need to update together. Download and install the APK below (Android 8.0+).

v2.4.1 - full-screen window fixes

CryptoChat 2.4.1 — a fix for the full-screen windows.

• The full-screen "What's new" and "update available" windows are usable again on every phone. On some phones their button did nothing and scrolling only half worked, while the very same window opened from Settings was always fine. The overlay was swallowing its own touch events; whether it broke came down to the phone's touch digitizer, not its performance.
• The same fix applies to the app-lock screen, so the Unlock button and scrolling always respond — before this, an affected phone could fail to unlock once the fingerprint prompt was dismissed.

This is a patch release. You can update one phone at a time; nothing about how messages are sent has changed.

v2.4.0 - privacy, safer pairing and reliability

[important]

CryptoChat 2.4.0 — stronger privacy, safer pairing, and a large batch of reliability and security fixes.

⚠️ A new pairing needs both phones on 2.4.0. The spoken verification code (SAS) is now longer, so a phone on 2.4.0 and a phone on an older version would show codes that don't line up when you set up a NEW contact. Existing conversations are unaffected and keep working whichever phone updates first.

Privacy

• Photo and file sizes are hidden from the server — media is padded before sending, so the relay can no longer tell how big a photo or file is (it already couldn't see the content).
• Longer verification code (SAS) — the code you read aloud when pairing went from 48 to 64 bits, making a man-in-the-middle attack far harder.
• Bug reports no longer leak network metadata — IP addresses and Tor relay fingerprints are stripped from any diagnostics you choose to send.

Security

• The key-change block now covers every send path — if a verified contact's security code changes, reactions, retry, delete-for-everyone and media are all paused (not just the send button) until you re-verify.
• Backup password must be at least 8 characters.

Reliability (highlights)

• A message that fails to save durably is no longer reported as delivered, so it can't be silently lost after the server drops it.
• A reaction that fails to send rolls back locally instead of showing as sent forever.
• Peer version/capability tracking can no longer be frozen or downgraded by a replayed or clock-skewed message.
• The relay resists memory-exhaustion and slow-connection (slowloris) flooding far better.
• Plus many smaller fixes across message handling, storage, notifications, the app lock, and the build.

Other

• Configurable auto-lock delay in Settings (immediately / 10s / 30s / 1min / 5min).
• Full-screen photos open instantly, animate in-app, and no longer appear before the app lock.
• Assorted scroll and tap fixes across several screens.

Update one phone at a time for existing chats; update both to pair a new contact.

v1.3.1 - reliability and hardening

A reliability and hardening release on top of 1.3. No rush — install it when convenient; it works fine alongside 1.3.0 and does not need to be installed on both phones.

Fixes

• File transfers are more reliable — a file is never lost or left stuck "receiving" when a transfer runs into a temporary problem (like low storage); it just retries.
• Backup import is safer — restoring an older backup no longer drops messages you received since, and no longer removes a contact's photo. Corrupt or tampered backups are skipped instead of aborting the whole import.
• Connection status is more accurate — the indicator now shows "not connected" when the server is really unreachable (and no longer stays on "connecting" while messages actually flow), and background delivery recovers on its own if the connection drops.
• Notifications show the contact's current name, even right after you rename them.
• Hardening against malformed or oversized data from the network.

Small addition

• When a contact runs a version whose features differ from yours, the chat now shows a short note: "Your app versions differ. Messages work, but some features may not work on both sides."

v1.3.0 - smoother scrolling and future-proof updates

No rush — install this when convenient. It works fine alongside older versions and does not need to be installed on both phones.

Fixes

• Opening a conversation now jumps straight to the newest message instead of stopping just short of the end.
• Your messages no longer get hidden behind the input area when you type a longer message or write a reply — the conversation shifts up to keep the latest text in view.

Under the hood

• The app can now advertise which small features it supports, so future updates can add capabilities without both phones having to update at the same time. Nothing changes for you today — this just makes later updates smoother.

v2.3.0 - formatting, reaction alerts and reliability

Formatting, reaction alerts and better reliability. No need to coordinate — you can update one phone at a time.

In conversations

• Text formatting. Wrap text in *stars* for bold, _underscores_ for italics, ~tildes~ for strikethrough, or `backticks` for monospace. The marks disappear and the styling shows. It’s still sent as plain text, so an older phone just sees the marks.
• Reaction alerts. When someone reacts to a message you sent, you get a notification showing which message they reacted to (long messages are shortened).
• Full-screen photos. Tap a photo in a chat to open it full screen, then pinch to zoom and drag to pan.

Privacy & security

• Incognito keyboard. The message box now asks your keyboard not to learn or cloud-sync what you type, so drafts of your messages don’t leak out of the app.
• Safer key changes. If a verified contact’s security code changes, sending is paused until you re-verify them or tap to continue anyway — instead of just a small warning.

Reliability

• Fewer lost messages. A message that reached the server but never got a delivery receipt (the server may have dropped it) is quietly re-sent, so it’s less likely to get stuck on a single tick.
• Faster reconnect. When the connection returns — Wi-Fi to mobile data, or after a dropout — the app picks messages up right away instead of waiting out its retry delay.

Also

• The app is now called CryptoChat, and updates keep working across the rename.
• What’s new now keeps the last few versions, so skipping an update no longer loses its notes.

v2.2.0

Edit and delete messages.

• Edit a message you sent: hold it, pick Edit, fix the text and send. It updates on the other phone too and is marked "edited".
• Delete for everyone: hold your own message and pick Delete for everyone; it turns into a grey "Deleted" on both phones. Delete for me does the same only on this phone.
• Scrolling fixes: reading older messages no longer jumps you back to the bottom when a new one arrives, and the jump-to-latest badge now shows the right count.

Both phones need this version for edits and deletes to reach the other side; an older phone simply keeps the original.