THE BEST DEALS OF THE DAY Encrypted mail applications are becoming more popular all over the world. They are designed to help increase user privacy and security by ensuring that malicious third parties cannot access messages and other personal data. In our Silence review, we take a close look at the popular encrypted SMS email app. On the surface, this seems like a powerful option for those seeking greater privacy and anonymity. Our goal is to help you decide if it's as good as it seems.
Donate to Silence if you want to assist with ongoing running costs (Image credit: Silence)
Packages and prices
Like many encrypted email apps, Silence is absolutely free to download and use. No subscription or premium license is required, making it a good option for those looking for a free private email solution. However, it is possible to donate to the Stealth Project if you want to contribute to the ongoing costs of operation and development. As of this writing, donations are only supported in Bitcoin, which can be quite difficult for those unfamiliar with the world of cryptocurrencies.
Silence is supported by a plurality of interesting quirks (Image credit: Silence)
Features
Although this is a fairly easy encrypted mail app, Silence still offers a selection of features that are worth mentioning. To start with, it is developed to replace your default SMS application, providing greater security and privacy to users. It is based on freely accessible open source code and can be used without an Internet connection. In addition to this, you can import any and all existing contacts that you have saved on your phone. There's a neat setup guide to get you started, and the entire app is simple to use. In addition to this, you can send a message to anyone, not just other Silence users. However, one important thing to keep in mind here is that end-to-end encryption is only available between you and other users of the Silence app. Other SMS messages are not encrypted while in transit.
Silence's interface is very simple and also intuitive (Image credit: Silence)
Interface and in use
Silence is only available on Android devices, which makes it somewhat limited compared to other free encrypted mail apps on multiple mobile and desktop operating systems. To get started, you can download the app from the Play Store or from F-Droid, an open source Android app repository. You'll usually find a more up-to-date version on F-Droid, while updates may take a while to hit the Google Play Store. Once you've downloaded the app, simply open it and follow the instructions to get started. You can use it to send a message to anyone, whether they're using Silence or not. Multiple security and privacy settings can be configured to ensure that your chats are always protected and that you can import contacts directly from your SIM card. One thing to note is that Silence sends messages via SMS / MMS, rather than via the mobile Internet. This means that you could face charges from your phone company if you don't have unlimited mail included in your plan.
A list of basic FAQs is free on the Silence site (Image credit: Silence)
Support
Unfortunately, Silence does not offer any direct live support services. It's not a huge surprise though, as it's totally free. It's also quite easy and simple to use, so you shouldn't have any major drawbacks that require live support. On the self-help front, there's a short list of basic FAQs that describe things you'd like to know about the platform. There are also Twitter and Medium accounts linked to the Silence team, although these are not regularly updated.
Silence is developed to offer encrypted and secure SMS messages (Image credit: Silence)
Security
As an encrypted text mail app, Silence naturally offers a decent selection of security features. To start with, each and every message stored on your phone is fully encrypted, reducing the danger of accessing them without your knowledge. However, keep in mind that you will need to configure a passkey sentence to enable encryption at rest. In addition to this, messages between 2 Silence users are protected by full end-to-end encryption, which increases confidentiality and prevents them from being stopped when they are sent. There's also an incognito keyboard that won't remember your typing history, as well as a screen security option that prevents you from taking screenshots when the app is open.
Competition
If you are looking for an encrypted mail app that is available on iOS, desktop, and Android operating systems, you can use WhatsApp. It is a popular alternative that, like Silence, is totally free for each and every user. If security is your number one priority, it might be worth considering Telegram. This app has long been a leader in the encrypted mail space and was developed with privacy and data integrity as top development priorities.
Final verdict
After all, Silence is a passable encrypted email app that doesn't stand out from the crowd. It is developed to provide more secure SMS than your device's standard SMS user, although end-to-end encryption is only available when you send messages to other Silence users. On top of this, Silence is only available on Android operating systems, making it superfluous for iOS and other users. User support is limited, but the uncluttered user interface and emphasis on privacy are nice to look at. The bottom line is that there's nothing wrong with using Silence, but it's far from the most advanced or popular encrypted email app out there. THE BEST DEALS OF THE DAY