Private Groups
Private Groups allow you to communicate securely with multiple trusted contacts at once.
They are designed for small, trusted circles — not public broadcasting — and inherit the same decentralized, end-to-end encrypted properties as one-to-one conversations.
What are Private Groups?
Section titled “What are Private Groups?”A Private Group is an encrypted group conversation where:
- All members must already be your contacts
- Messages are end-to-end encrypted
- There are no central servers
- Group membership is controlled explicitly
Private Groups are suitable for:
- Trusted teams
- Families or close networks
- Coordination in hostile environments
Creating a private group
Section titled “Creating a private group”Step 1 — Open Private Groups
Section titled “Step 1 — Open Private Groups”Open the main menu and select Private Groups.
You’ll see a list of all private groups you belong to.
Step 2 — Create a new group
Section titled “Step 2 — Create a new group”Tap the Create Group button.
Enter a name for the group and confirm.
Step 3 — Invite contacts
Section titled “Step 3 — Invite contacts”Choose the contacts you want to invite to the group.
Only contacts already in your contact list can be invited.
Step 4 — Send invitations
Section titled “Step 4 — Send invitations”Optionally add a short message explaining the purpose of the group, then send the invitations.
Invited contacts will receive a request to join.
Joining a private group
Section titled “Joining a private group”When someone invites you to a private group:
- You’ll see an invitation message
- You can accept or decline
- If you accept, the group appears in your Private Groups list
No one is added automatically — joining always requires explicit consent.
Group conversations
Section titled “Group conversations”Once a group is created and members have joined, you can start messaging.
Threads
Section titled “Threads”Messages in private groups are organized into threads:
- Anyone can start a new thread
- Anyone can reply within an existing thread
This helps keep discussions readable as groups grow.
Supported message types
Section titled “Supported message types”Private Groups support:
- Text messages
- Images
- Voice messages (with optional distortion)
- Offline location sharing
Payment requests are not available in groups.
Group permissions and lifecycle
Section titled “Group permissions and lifecycle”- Only the group creator can invite new members
- Any member can leave the group at any time
- If the creator leaves, the group is automatically dissolved
- There is no concept of group administrators or moderators beyond the creator
This design avoids hidden authority and reduces long-term metadata exposure.
Security notes
Section titled “Security notes”- Group members can see who else is in the group
- Trust assumptions apply to all members
- Leaving a group does not delete past messages from other members’ devices
- Anyone with physical access to an unlocked device can read group messages
Private Groups are powerful — but only as safe as the people inside them.
Summary
Section titled “Summary”- Private Groups are encrypted, invite-only group chats
- Designed for trusted contacts
- Support text, images, voice (with distortion), and location sharing
- No servers, no public discovery
- Explicit membership control
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