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
143 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
143 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
143 months ago
They don't offer a public encryption validation service like Threema does, do they?
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
subsonix Avatar
143 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
143 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
143 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

iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Will Include These New Features for Your iPhone

Wednesday February 5, 2025 7:15 am PST by
iOS 18.3 was released last month, so the first iOS 18.4 beta should be coming soon. iOS 18.4 is expected to be a more substantial update for the iPhone, with several new features and changes related to Apple Intelligence and beyond. Apple's website suggests that iOS 18.4 will be released in April, following beta testing. Below, we outline what to expect from the update so far. Apple...
iCloud General Feature Redux

iPhone Users Who Pay for iCloud Storage Receive an All-New Perk

Thursday February 6, 2025 11:21 am PST by
If you pay for iCloud storage on your iPhone, Apple has a new perk for you, at no additional cost. iCloud+ is the official name for Apple's paid iCloud storage plans, which range from 50GB for $0.99 per month to 12TB for $59.99 per month in the United States. iCloud+ plans already come with multiple perks for free, such as Hide My Email and HomeKit Secure Video, and now there is another one...
maxresdefault

An Apple TV Refresh is Coming in 2025 - Here's What You Should Know

Wednesday February 5, 2025 10:17 am PST by
Apple hasn't refreshed the Apple TV since 2022, but rumors suggest that we're finally going to get an update in 2025. We don't have a full picture of what to expect yet, but we have some hints on what's coming. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Updated A-Series Chip The current Apple TV 4K uses the A15 Bionic chip that was in the iPhone 13 lineup, and it's time for...
iPhone SE 4 Single Camera Thumb

iPhone SE 4 Launching as Soon as Next Week

Thursday February 6, 2025 3:30 pm PST by
Apple's next-generation iPhone SE could debut as soon as next week with a launch to follow later in February, reports Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Apple isn't expected to hold an event for the iPhone SE 4, and will instead unveil the device through a press release. The iPhone SE 4 is expected to have an iPhone 14-style design, with Apple eliminating the thick bezels and Touch ID Home button of...
iOS 18

iOS 18.3.1 Update Coming Soon for iPhones

Thursday February 6, 2025 7:31 am PST by
Apple is internally testing iOS 18.3.1 for iPhones, according to our website's analytics logs, which have been a consistently reliable indicator of upcoming iOS versions. The software update should be released within the next few weeks. iOS 18.3.1 should be a minor update that addresses software bugs and/or security vulnerabilities. Apple Intelligence notification summaries for news and...
iCloud General Feature Redux

Apple Ordered by UK to Create Global iCloud Encryption Backdoor

Friday February 7, 2025 2:37 am PST by
The British government has secretly demanded that Apple give it blanket access to all encrypted user content uploaded to the cloud, reports The Washington Post. The undisclosed order is said to have been issued last month, and requires that Apple creates a back door that allows UK security officials unencumbered access to encrypted user data worldwide – an unprecedented demand not before...
disney

Disney+ Loses 700,000 Subscribers Following Price Increase

Wednesday February 5, 2025 3:34 pm PST by
Disney+ lost 700,000 subscribers worldwide in recent months, according to Disney's earnings results for the first quarter of 2025. Disney said it now has 124.6 million Disney+ subscribers, a decrease of 0.7 million compared to its subscriber numbers in the fourth quarter of 2024. The drop in subscribers comes after Disney+ prices increased in the fall. Disney+ with Ads went from $7.99 to...
apple wallet drivers license feature iPhone 15 pro

iPhone Driver's Licenses to Expand to These 7 U.S. States

Wednesday February 5, 2025 6:27 am PST by
In select U.S. states, residents can add their driver's license or state ID to the Wallet app on the iPhone and Apple Watch, providing a convenient and contactless way to display proof of identity or age at select airports and businesses, and in select apps. Below, we outline which U.S. states and territories offer the feature, and additional states that have committed to rolling it out in...