You meet someone in person and want to keep in touch without handing over a phone number or email address. SimpleX Chat handles that with a QR code or a link, and the other person can start messaging at once. This page covers version 7.0.4 for Android, which requires Android 8.0 or newer and weighs 83.5 MB.
Free, no ads, and open source under AGPL
SimpleX Chat is free, carries no ads and is released under the AGPL-3.0-or-later licence. Its source code is public on GitHub, so anyone can read how the messenger handles chats without user IDs.
The project website is simplex.chat.
Messaging without any user identifier
The central idea is that accounts have no identifiers at all, not even random numbers. Per the store description, this hides who you talk to from the platform servers and from outside observers. Nobody can contact you unless you share a one-time invitation link or an optional temporary address.
Messages are end-to-end encrypted and can be edited, replied to and deleted. You can send images and files, make audio and video calls, and create secret groups where only members know the group exists. Notifications are described as private.
Your profile and contacts live on your device. Servers hold messages only until they are delivered. You can also run your own servers and still talk to people on the default ones, and a chat profile can be moved to another device.
Version 7.0.4 and project upkeep
The current build is 7.0.4, updated on October 6, 2026. The app first appeared on December 10, 2022. The developer says a security assessment by Trail of Bits was carried out in November 2022.
Questions can go to the team through the app settings, by email, or as an issue on GitHub.
SimpleX Chat pros and cons
Pros
- No phone number, email or other user identifier is needed to start chatting
- Free, with no ads shown in the listing
- Source code is public under AGPL-3.0-or-later
- Messages and calls are end-to-end encrypted
- Chat profile can be moved to another device
Cons
- Contacts must be added by link or QR code, so there is no way to be found by number
- At 83.5 MB, it is a sizable download for a messenger
- The developer is not named publicly
Is SimpleX Chat safe?
The APK is stored unmodified. Compare its SHA-256 checksum, b660cff7d3a4afd2653d11985045aaf34eeb778d8e97c6bef9b367ccd3a0def6, with your download. The source code is open under AGPL-3.0-or-later. The app description mentions a Trail of Bits security assessment from November 2022, and no newer one is noted.
How to install SimpleX Chat
- Download the APK with the button on this page and wait for it to finish.
- Compare the file with the SHA-256 checksum shown here if you want to confirm it arrived intact.
- Open the file on your phone and allow installs from this source when Android asks.
- Finish the install, then open SimpleX Chat from your app drawer.
