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.
Current feature limitations
Section titled “Current feature limitations”At this time, Private Groups support text messages only.
The following features are not yet available in groups:
- ❌ Images
- ❌ Voice messages
- ❌ Payment requests
- ❌ Offline location sharing
These features may be added in the future, but are intentionally limited during early stages to keep group communication simple and robust.
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
- Text messaging only (for now)
- No servers, no public discovery
- Explicit membership control
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