Swell: Private Messenger

Swell is a private messenger for the people you already know. No phone number, no email, no public profile. Chat, call and share photos and files with end-to-end encryption on every message and call.

Nobody can find you by searching. You add people with a link or a QR code, and only people you added can reach you. Your account is a set of keys on your phone and 12 recovery words that only you hold.

EVERYTHING YOU EXPECT FROM A MESSENGER
- Encrypted chat with replies, reactions, edits, delete for everyone, forwarding and search
- Voice and video calls, group calls and screen sharing
- Group chats for up to 8 people, with mentions and a group photo
- Voice messages, photos, videos and files
- Send a place or a contact card in one message
- Disappearing messages, with a timer for each chat
- Note to Self, starred messages, pinned chats, archive and mute
- Dark and light themes, accent colours, app lock with your fingerprint
- Back up your chats to a file locked with your 12 words, and bring them to a new phone
- Two accounts on one phone, each with its own contacts and chats

PRIVACY YOU CAN CHECK YOURSELF
- Check It Yourself: one page that reads what your phone really holds, in plain words, right now
- What the server sees: the full list, inside the app, under Privacy
- Message trail: each step of a message, from sealed to read, as your own phone recorded it
- Safety numbers and a contact mark you can compare when you meet
- If a message arrives under a different identity key, Swell refuses it and tells you, instead of quietly trusting the new key
- Sensitive photos: photos from people you have not verified, or added in the last 7 days, arrive blurred until you tap them. Swell never looks inside your photos.

MADE ONLY FOR SWELL
- Sealed letter: write it today, and it stays closed on their phone until the date you pick
- Fading message: once seen, its words go away a few at a time on both phones
- Private mode: messages stay in memory, are never saved, and are wiped when either of you leaves
- Temporary contact: a chat that ends by itself, for people you need only for a while

WHAT THE SERVER SEES
Your phone connects to a Jiji Labs server over an encrypted connection. The server sees your IP address, random chat IDs, and the size and time of waiting messages. It holds encrypted messages until they are collected, for up to 14 days. It cannot see your name, your contacts or who you talk to, and it cannot read your messages, photos, files or calls.

SECURE BY DESIGN
Messages use the Double Ratchet with post-quantum key agreement. Your chats and keys are stored encrypted on your phone. Photos are re-encoded before sending, which removes location and camera data. Notifications only say "New message". No ads, no analytics and no tracking.

The source code is public under the AGPL licence. The link is in Settings.

HONEST LIMITS
Swell has had internal security reviews and has not yet been independently audited. Nobody can stop the other person from photographing their screen. If you lose both your phone and your 12 words, your account cannot be restored. Swell is for people aged 18 and over and has zero tolerance for child sexual abuse and exploitation.

Free, from Jiji Labs (PT JIJI LABS DIGITAL), Indonesia.
Privacy: jijilabsdigital.com/swell/privacy.html
Support: [email protected]