If you are serious about keeping your conversations private, the usual names like WhatsApp and Signal may not be the strongest choice. A lesser-known app called Delta Chat is gaining attention for offering something genuinely different: decentralised, open-source messaging that does not ask for your phone number, email address, or even your real name.
Delta Chat has been around for roughly a decade, but it has evolved significantly. Originally, it worked by turning your existing email account into a chat service. Today, Delta Chat gives you an email address automatically and manages the technical back end itself, making the setup far simpler while keeping the same privacy benefits.
How Delta Chat works #
The app is built on email infrastructure, which makes it harder to block or censor than many mainstream alternatives. Because it is decentralised, there is no single company server that can fail or be compromised. It is also end-to-end encrypted, so messages cannot be read by anyone except the people in the conversation.
Importantly, Delta Chat does not require a phone number. When you create a profile, the app generates a random address made up of letters and numbers. You share that address only with people you trust. There is no public directory, and strangers cannot search for you or spam you without your specific encryption key.
Getting started #
Delta Chat is available for Android, iOS, Windows, and macOS. To sign up, you simply tap “Create new profile.” You can pick any username and add a profile picture if you like. The app then opens to a clean chat screen with a welcome message and a saved-messages folder.
Adding a contact is done through a QR code or an invite link. Once connected, the interface works like any modern chat app. You can make audio and video calls, create group chats, send files, set disappearing messages, mute conversations, and use read receipts. Multi-device login is also supported.
Why it stands out #
- No personal data required — no phone number, email, or real name.
- Decentralised infrastructure — spread across multiple servers and locations.
- Open-source — anyone can inspect the code.
- End-to-end encryption — messages stay between sender and recipient.
- Self-hosting option — advanced users can run their own node.
Unlike WhatsApp, which is tied to a phone number and owned by Meta, or Signal, which still requires a mobile number, Delta Chat removes those identifiers entirely. The trade-off is the same one every privacy-focused app faces: you may need to convince a few close contacts to install it. But because it also works with regular email addresses, you can message people who are not even using the app.
Would you switch to a messaging app that does not need your phone number? Let us know in the comments.