TextSecure Android texting app

bothyhead

With all the media attention with Ed Snowden and various spy agencies, I'm surprised that there are only a couple of references on Boards to WhisperSystems' TextSecure Android app. It functions very like WhatsApp, but it automatically encrypts texts between two TextSecure users. It's also open source.

The nice thing about it that it can also be used as a direct replacement for the standard SMS messaging app. If I text a mate who is not using TextSecure, the text will go out the SMS channel, but if I text a secure mate, it is automatically encrypted and goes out the data channel. It makes encryption easy as I don't have a decision to make, which I think is its killer feature.

Encryption is pretty good: AES 128 in counter mode as well as forward secrecy.

I believe that they are also working on an iPhone version. Best of all ... it's totally free

Khannie

I use it myself after a recommendation from a boardsie. Found it hard to convince even a techie friend of mine to move to it though. My wife has said she will.

Even as a pure SMS app I think it's miles ahead of the default one.

syklops

Khannie wrote: »

I use it myself after a recommendation from a boardsie. Found it hard to convince even a techie friend of mine to move to it though. My wife has said she will.

Even as a pure SMS app I think it's miles ahead of the default one.

Downloading now.....

bothyhead

I only came across it myself a while ago after hearing Steve Gibson and Leo Laporte recommend it on their Security Now podcast. And apparently Ed Snowden also gave it a thumbs up in his SxSW keynote address:

"WhisperSystems and the Moxie Marlinspikes [lead developer] of the world are focusing on new user experience, new UIs and basically ways for us to interact with cryptographic tools."

It has gained a rapid following in Germany in the past few days as a result of some published article. Hopefully something similar will trigger a mass download in Ireland ... if only for the fact that more of my contacts start using it.

hooplah

I had this installed a while ago but got rid of it again - at that stage it wouldn't save draft texts. Is that still the case?

Khannie

bedlam wrote: »

It will save the most recent unsent message per conversation.

Confirmed. I had a draft yesterday. No issues.

hooplah

Thanks folks, I've gone and installed it again. Looks good too.

bd0101

bothyhead wrote: »

With all the media attention with Ed Snowden and various spy agencies, I'm surprised that there are only a couple of references on Boards to WhisperSystems' TextSecure Android app. It functions very like WhatsApp, but it automatically encrypts texts between two TextSecure users. It's also open source.

The nice thing about it that it can also be used as a direct replacement for the standard SMS messaging app. If I text a mate who is not using TextSecure, the text will go out the SMS channel, but if I text a secure mate, it is automatically encrypted and goes out the data channel. It makes encryption easy as I don't have a decision to make, which I think is its killer feature.

Encryption is pretty good: AES 128 in counter mode as well as forward secrecy.

I believe that they are also working on an iPhone version. Best of all ... it's totally free

Something worthy to note:...

iPhones are keeping a log of all your words and create a dictionary (keyword log), that you can erase by going within settings (reset section). This can be used to compile frequently used keywords (or interesting ones...) that an iPhone user types. So, even when using a secure app, the OS is the one thing that can betray you(r trust).

One more proof that One should NOT trust US-based companies...

RainyDay

How do you know if your contacts are using TextSecure or not? I got a voicemail notification text from Three, and it told me that it was an encrypted message, which seems unlikely?

Khannie

RainyDay wrote: »

How do you know if your contacts are using TextSecure or not? I got a voicemail notification text from Three, and it told me that it was an encrypted message, which seems unlikely?

Yeah, it sometimes makes mistakes about the status of the message.

notmymark

Ye what a great app. I downloaded it after hearing Steve Gibson recommend it. In the process of trying to get all my family and friends over to it...

:mad: when will they learn

PrzemoF

Info for cyanogenmod users from Dec 2013:

"Koush announced that CyanogenMod would be seeing integrated, system-wide secure messaging integration with compatibility with TextSecure. For those unfamiliar, TextSecure is an open-source cross-platform (iOS and Android) client that encrypts your SMS messages both locally, and over the air when sending to other TextSecure users."

http://www.cyanogenmod.org/blog/whisperpush-secure-messaging-integration

It's in Settings->Privacy->WhisperPush on Cyanogenmod11

0rt

been using it for about a year or so now..
dead handy..

bothyhead

RainyDay wrote: »

How do you know if your contacts are using TextSecure or not? I got a voicemail notification text from Three, and it told me that it was an encrypted message, which seems unlikely?

Just a note on this: in order for TextSecure to encrypt the message, both parties have to be using it. So, if your mate has it and you don't, then it will be sent as a regular, plaintext sms.

bothyhead

notmymark wrote: »

Ye what a great app. I downloaded it after hearing Steve Gibson recommend it. In the process of trying to get all my family and friends over to it...

:mad: when will they learn

Most people I recommend it to simply shrug their shoulders and say that they have nothing to hide. I have nothing to hide either, but I still value my privacy.

RainyDay

0rt wrote: »

been using it for about a year or so now..
dead handy..

HOw many of your contacts use it also?

Khannie

RainyDay wrote: »

HOw many of your contacts use it also?

Only two of mine and I had to ask both to install it. I still think it's a good SMS app, so a worthwhile install.

Mr Reese

Hi guys,

If someone sends you an MMS when you're using this, it says,

Error connecting to MMS Provider

And then if you go back to the default txt app or Hangouts their's no sign that you even got an MMS as it doesn't get imported back in for some reason.

How do you get by this? I was in in the MMS settings in the app and I see the MMSC URL (Required) setting but a google isin't finding the Info I'd need to fill this in for the Network I'm on.

Or does the other person HAVE to be using TextSecure?


Any other text app worth trying if their's no way around this?

Mr Reese

bedlam wrote: »

MMS is a bit hit and miss, report the issue here



Surespot is quite good and cross platform but does not do sms.

Ahh, alot of messing.

Might try Threema, maybe. Or God forbid Whatsapp.

Pat Mustard

Is this app heavy on juice?

Recently I noticed that the battery settings in my phone indicated that this app had caused a bit of battery drain. There was quite a bit of text activity that day, so this may not necessarily mean anything, of itself.

Thought I'd mention it here to see if anyone else noticed the same thing.

Khannie

Haven't noticed that myself.

Mr Reese

Developers need to go and get a Moto G and do something with this awful POS.

Nothing works right with it.

Mr Reese

bedlam wrote: »

Let the developers know your issues rather than grumbling about it here where they are unlikely to read. They are usually very good about fixing / implementing features.

Of course having said that, if you are experiencing this, you are out of luck unless you can convince Motorola to do something about it, which will be infinitely harder.

Yup, that's one of the problems I was having with it. 3/4 more to go along with it...take a good while to report/write them out...I might. Refusing to send without a Data Connection was another, constant flickering screen when trying to send Txt to other phone that had removed TS. I'd need to reinstall it to remember...

It's a mess with the Moto G though sums it up.

Grand with my old Samsung Galaxy Ace though, their's been a few bugs now with different Apps I'd been using before I switched to the Moto.

I didn't think Android varied so much on different Handsets...and this being Googles own phone aswell (at the time).

RainyDay

Am I missing something, or is there a way to send a text to two (or more) people using Text Secure?

bothyhead

RainyDay wrote: »

Am I missing something, or is there a way to send a text to two (or more) people using Text Secure?

You can create a group and add the two people to that. Then just sent the group a text. Create a group via bottom left menu on your Android device.

RainyDay

bothyhead wrote: »

You can create a group and add the two people to that. Then just sent the group a text. Create a group via bottom left menu on your Android device.

A tad clunky for a one-off text to two people, no?

Khannie

RainyDay wrote: »

A tad clunky for a one-off text to two people, no?

On the face of it it sounds that way, but then I thought about viber and it's similar. It's a group chat to send the same message to multiple people.