Threema. The Secure Messenger

Threema Review: No Phone Number, No Data Collected

Google Play Says No Data Collected, None Shared

The data safety card is the shortest of any app reviewed here, and it is empty on both lines: no data collected, no data shared with third parties. For a messenger that is a structural claim rather than a policy promise — there is no account tied to a phone number, so the usual social graph does not exist to collect. Messages are end-to-end encrypted, contacts can be verified in person by scanning a QR code, and each contact shows a verification level with coloured dots indicating how strongly the identity is confirmed.

An Anonymous ID Instead of a Number

Registration produces an eight-character Threema ID — SX96PM5A in the store screenshots — which is what you share instead of a telephone number. Adding a contact means exchanging IDs or scanning a code, which is more work than an address book import and is exactly the point: nobody can find you from a leaked phone list. An ID revocation password can be set in advance so an account can be destroyed if the phone is lost, and backups are configurable rather than automatic. Nothing about the account is recoverable by the company, which is the trade for anonymity rather than a bug.

$7.49 on Android, $6.99 on iPhone, No Subscription

The app costs $7.49 on Google Play and $6.99 on the App Store, and carries no in-app purchases, no advertising and no subscription tier — the money changes hands once. Features are the ordinary ones done carefully: photos, files, location sharing, polls, document scanning, voice calls and a desktop client that pairs with the phone. The small user base is the honest downside: five million Android installs against a billion for its mainstream rivals, and a 3.8 Play rating from people who mostly complain that nobody they know uses it. For a paid app with no telemetry, that rating is less a verdict on quality than on how few contacts most buyers find there.