Keys only with you
The secret key is stored on your device and is never sent to the server in plain form.
Your conversation is yours alone
Karas uses end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for private chats. Messages are encrypted on your device and decrypted only on your contact’s.
What end-to-end encryption is
End-to-end encryption is when a message is “sealed” right on your phone or computer and “unsealed” only on your contact’s device. Everything in between — servers, providers, networks — sees nothing but an unreadable string of characters. They have no key to decrypt it, so they cannot read the conversation.
How it protects you
The service can’t read your chats
Even the owner of Karas sees only encrypted data — not the text of your messages.
Protection from interception
Even if data is intercepted on the network, it is useless without the key.
Sign in on a new device without losing access
To open encrypted chats on a new device, Karas keeps a key backup. It is stored on the server in encrypted form only and is unlocked with your password — no one but you can use it.
How to enable it: Change your password in settings (you can keep the same one) — the backup is activated after that. Until the backup is connected, the app shows a reminder banner.
Important: If the password is wrong, the key cannot be recovered — that is the price of real privacy. This is how end-to-end encryption works: not even we have access to your messages.
What else we do for security
- Sign in with a password or via Google
- Password recovery by email
- Secure password storage (hashing)
- Limits and checks on uploaded files
Honest about the limits
End-to-end encryption currently works for private (one-on-one) chats. It does not yet apply to groups and channels.
We say this openly so you understand which conversations are protected the most.