Open source web and Mac application Cryptocat is now available on iOS. Designed to allow secure online chatting, the app encrypts chat messages to allow users to have single and group conversations that are secure and unable to be intercepted or monitored.

cryptocat

Everyone's favourite privacy-loving cat is now on iPhone! Get an encrypted cat in your pocket, have private chats with friends any time.

Easily have group conversations with your friends without fearing monitoring or interception. Cryptocat is free, open chat that aims to provide an open, accessible Instant Messaging environment with a transparent layer of encryption that's easy to use.

Unlike other secure chat apps, including Confide, Cryptocat does not require usernames, email addresses, or accounts to use, with users entering a one-time nickname to chat. There are also no buddy lists or account history, making conversations ephemeral.

According to the developers, Cryptocat is a native iPhone application that uses iOS APIs rather than web cryptography, but it is designed to work seamlessly with other Cryptocat clients. Along with an iOS app, Cryptocat is also available for the Mac and as a browser extension for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari.

Cryptocat was originally announced for iOS in December, but the app was initially rejected by Apple, a decision that has since been reversed. According to the app's developer, who spoke to The Verge, the issues with Apple have been resolved.

"There was some very important help given by the Electronic Frontier Foundation, and we ended up scheduling a conversation with Apple, and after a while Apple was very gracious and understanding,” he said. "I couldn't be happier with Apple right now."

Cryptocat can be downloaded from the App Store for free. [Direct Link]

Top Rated Comments

subsonix Avatar
148 months ago
iMessage is vulnerable to man in the middle. Just google iMessage and nsa.

BS, just google anything and you'll find support for it.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
BillyBobBongo Avatar
148 months ago
Your discussion with 'The Wife' about what's for dinner isn't of national importance. Just use iMessage. :cool:
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CoreForce Avatar
148 months ago
They don't offer a public encryption validation service like Threema does, do they?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
subsonix Avatar
148 months ago
iMessage is not true end to end encryption, and this is not a "someone said" it's a big world wide news story taken up by the biggest computer news networks.

You are mixing up a lot of different things here. An SSL bug reported about last week, NSA's alleged dragnet and man-in-the-middle attacks.

http://techcrunch.com/2014/02/27/apple-explains-exactly-how-secure-imessage-really-is/?utm_campaign=fb&ncid=fb
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
msandersen Avatar
148 months ago
I can see how the extremely paranoid, or those on the shadier side of the law, would go for this. Anything by a big corporation is already suspect in their eyes, even a service like BBM.
To be fair, the NSA and various other 3-letter agencies are doing their best to thwart privacy and secrecy "in the national interest", forcing US companies like Skype/Microsoft to put in backdoors. And being a non-US citizen, even the supposed safeguards against spying on US citizens which they obviously haven't been adhering to, is not an issue for them. They believe in "big data", scouring up as much data as possible, regardless of how relevant at the time, "just in case".
But for most of us, in the West at least, it is not a concern, esp as iMessage's end-to-end encryption is good enough, whether or not the NSA has a backdoor, which really comes down to whether you trust Apple's commitment to our privacy and assurances even they can't read them (whether or not it is "theoretically" possible as has been shown) and their strong assurance the government would have to cart away their servers to get at it. But on the whole, we mainly care about cyber criminals stealing our personal details, and to that end, iMessage is all we need or want AS LONG AS the recipient has an iPhone. Which is where all those myriad of other messenger apps come in.

This one lives on the Paranoid end of the spectrum, which is fair enough. Esp for those not fortunate enough to live in a fairly free country where you live without fear of persecution for things like your religious or political beliefs, ethnicity or sexual orientation, either of which might get you life in a prison camp, or torture and death. In various countries like China, which probably wouldn't allow an app like this anyway, it is a genuine concern, there are good sound reasons to be paranoid if you are in a group they disapprove of, say from Tibet or member of Falun Gung or a Democracy group.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
2457282 Avatar
148 months ago
I'm content with iMessage. Don't see the need for another app. I understand that if you are talking to someone not an iPhone you may want an app that is more secure than SMS, but I just try not to message anyone that fails to have an iPhone. :D
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

iphone 16 pro models 1

Here's How the iPhone 17 Pro Max Will Compare to the iPhone 17 Pro

Saturday July 5, 2025 1:00 pm PDT by
Apple should unveil the iPhone 17 series in September, and there might be one bigger difference between the Pro and Pro Max models this year. As always, the Pro Max model will be larger than the Pro model:iPhone 17 Pro: 6.3-inch display iPhone 17 Pro Max: 6.9-inch displayGiven the Pro Max is physically larger than the Pro, it has more internal space, allowing for a larger battery and...
imac video apple feature

Apple Launching These 15+ Products Later This Year

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:05 am PDT by
The calendar has turned to July, meaning that 2025 is now more than half over. And while the summer months are often quiet for Apple, the company still has more than a dozen products coming later this year, according to rumors. Below, we have outlined at least 15 new Apple products that are expected to launch later this year, along with key rumored features for each. iPhone 17 Series iPho...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro to Reverse iPhone X Design Decision

Monday July 7, 2025 9:46 am PDT by
Since the iPhone X in 2017, all of Apple's highest-end iPhone models have featured either stainless steel or titanium frames, but it has now been rumored that this design decision will be coming to an end with the iPhone 17 Pro models later this year. In a post on Chinese social media platform Weibo today, the account Instant Digital said that the iPhone 17 Pro models will have an aluminum...
iPhone Car Key Kia

Here's Which Vehicles Offer iPhone Car Keys

Sunday July 6, 2025 3:03 pm PDT by
In 2020, Apple added a digital car key feature to its Wallet app, allowing users to lock, unlock, and start a compatible vehicle with an iPhone or Apple Watch. The feature is currently offered by select automakers, including Audi, BMW, Hyundai, Kia, Genesis, Mercedes-Benz, Volvo, and a handful of others, and it is set to expand further. Apple has a web page with a list of vehicle models that ...
iOS 26 Feature

Everything New in iOS 26 Beta 3

Monday July 7, 2025 1:20 pm PDT by
Apple is continuing to refine and update iOS 26, and beta three features smaller changes than we saw in beta 2, plus further tweaks to the Liquid Glass design. Apple is gearing up for the next phase of beta testing, and the company has promised that a public beta is set to come out in July. Transparency In some apps like Apple Music, Podcasts, and the App Store, Apple has toned down the...
iPhone 17 Pro in Hand Feature Lowgo

iPhone 17 Pro Coming Soon With These 14 New Features

Friday July 4, 2025 1:05 pm PDT by
Apple's next-generation iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are just over two months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models. Latest Rumors These rumors surfaced in June and July:Apple logo repositioned: Apple's logo may have a lower position on the back of the iPhone 17 Pro models, compared to previous...
iphone 17 pro render majin bu

New iPhone 17 Pro Renders Highlight Apple Logo and MagSafe Design Changes

Sunday July 6, 2025 8:43 pm PDT by
New renders today provide the best look yet relocated Apple logo and redesigned MagSafe magnet array of the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max. Image via Majin Bu. Several of the design changes coming to the iPhone 17 Pro model have been rumored for some time, such as the elongated camera bump that spans the full width of the device, with the LiDAR Scanner and flash moving to the right side. ...
iPhone 14 Pro Dynamic Island

iPhone 17 Models Rumored to Feature Redesigned Dynamic Island

Monday July 7, 2025 7:38 am PDT by
iPhone 17 models will feature a redesigned Dynamic Island user interface, according to a post today from Digital Chat Station, an account with more than three million followers on Chinese social media platform Weibo. The account has accurately leaked some information regarding future Apple products in the past. The account did not share any specific details about the alleged changes that are ...
Prime Day 25 Feature Warm Triad

The Best Early Prime Day Deals on Apple Products

Saturday July 5, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Amazon is soon to be back with its annual summertime Prime Day event, lasting for four days from July 8-11, the longest Prime Day yet. As it does every year, Prime Day offers shoppers a huge selection of deals across Amazon's storefront, and there are already many deals you can get on sale ahead of the event. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with Amazon. When you click a link and make a ...