You are willing to pay once for a Swiss chat ID that is not a SIM. Threema sells that product and does not pretend it is free. You get a randomly generated eight-digit Threema ID and can skip providing a phone number or email address. The app still looks like a messenger on the home screen.
WhatsApp requires phone-number verification before you can use an account. Threema lets you register without linking a phone number. Session and SimpleX are free nerd messengers with the same icon problem. Threema is the paid, polished one with an in-app lock. The old leak is still the icon. A PIN inside Threema hides a thread. It does not turn the app into news.
This page is for your own phone and your own chat. It is not a way to watch someone else, and it is not a stranger room.
Threema vs a News-Look Chat
| App | What you pay | What a shared phone still shows |
|---|---|---|
| Threema | A one-time store price. About six dollars. No extra fees. | A messenger icon. Optional PIN on private chats. Recents if you save media. |
| Session | Free. Account ID. No phone number. | The same messenger tell. No news costume. |
| DailyNewsTalk | Free to start. A couple plan if you want one. | A news app until you long-press and enter a PIN. |
When DailyNewsTalk is the Better Fit
Use Threema when both of you are comfortable using a conventional messaging app and want a private Threema ID. Use DailyNewsTalk when you want a messaging app with a news-style interface on a shared phone.
DailyNewsTalk looks like a news reader until you long-press the news feed and enter a PIN to open the inbox. You can connect using a usertag, without registering a phone number or email address. Messages appear as news-style alerts, while photos and videos stay in the chat instead of automatically saving to your phone’s gallery. The app also offers HD voice and video calls, along with additional privacy features. Download DailyNewsTalk.
Jump to What You Need
- What Threema actually does
- What people on Reddit say
- What still leaks on a shared phone
- Questions people ask
What Threema Actually Does
Threema is a Swiss company that sells the personal app as a one-time purchase. Official pricing lists about six dollars, and Play or the Threema Shop can show a little more by country. There are no recurring fees and no paid extras after that. If you switch from Android to iPhone, you buy the app again because licenses do not move.
The first launch makes an eight-character Threema ID with no name baked in. Phone and email are optional, and the official FAQ says you can skip both. Then people need the ID to find you, which is the anonymous path. If you later attach a number in settings, you undid that part on purpose.
Chats, calls, and files are end-to-end encrypted on the device. You can lock the whole app, and you can mark one chat private and hide it in the Threema list. On Android that lock is a PIN, the phone lock, or biometrics. On iPhone it is a passcode lock, with Face ID if you turn that on. Push for a private chat skips the name and the preview. The icon on the grid is still Threema.
Threema can save incoming media to the phone folder if you turn that switch on. Leave it off if Gallery is the leak you actually have. Threema Safe can back up your ID so a lost phone is not a lost identity. That is a privacy app with a lock. It is not a news reader with a long-press PIN.
What People on Reddit Say
Privacy threads treat Threema as the paid option next to Session and SimpleX. The usual line is simple and honest. Pay once, never link a phone or email, and keep the ID on your own device. In a 2021 r/privacy discussion comparing Signal and Threema, users discuss Threema’s no-phone-number signup and the differences between privacy and anonymity.
People also warn you about the home screen in the same breath. A polished chat icon is still a chat icon to anyone who unlocks the phone. Hiding a thread inside Threema helps if someone opens the app and scrolls. It does not help if they only need to see that Threema is installed.
The no-number listicle on this site covers the same three brands without turning them into one URL. Start with messaging apps without a phone number if you want that roundup. SimpleX Chat is the no-ID option on that list, and Session is the long Account ID.
What Still Leaks on a Shared Phone
Threema’s PIN is real, and private chats can leave the main list. That is better than a bare WhatsApp inbox on a phone you share. The app name is still on the home screen where anyone can read it. Search and Screen Time can still name Threema. A bank statement can still show the store charge from the day you paid.
Calls in Threema are encrypted from end to end. They are still a messenger call with a messenger icon. They are not a news-look call that skips Recents on the phone. If you let media save to the camera roll, the shot is back in Photos. Official help even tells you that path if you want a copy outside the app.
You can hide the Threema icon with the phone’s own hide-app tool. Then you have two locks, and you still open a chat app. For the hide-chat map, start with secret messaging apps.
Questions People Ask
Does Threema need a phone number?
No. The ID is random and eight characters long, with no SIM baked in. Phone and email are optional, so skip them if the number is the leak. Then people must already have your ID before they can write. If you link a number later, contacts can match it, and that undoes the anonymous signup.
How much does Threema cost?
You pay once and then you are done with fees. Threema’s price page lists about six dollars, and stores can show a bit more by country. There are no monthly extras and no unlocks behind a second paywall. Switch from Android to iPhone and you buy again, because the license does not move across stores.
Can I hide chats inside Threema?
Yes. Mark a chat private, then hide private chats in settings so they leave the main list. You need the PIN or Face ID to open them again. Alerts skip the name and the text on those threads. The Threema icon still sits on the home screen. That is a lock inside a messenger, not a disguise.
Is Threema better than Session?
Threema feels more finished, and you pay once for that polish. Session is free and uses a long Account ID instead of an eight-character Swiss ID. Both skip a required phone number, and both look like chat apps. Pay for Threema if you want the in-app lock. Do not expect a news costume from either one.
Will Threema save photos to Gallery?
Only if you turn the save-to-phone setting on in Threema. Official help mentions saving media to the phone folder so files survive if you delete the app. Leave that off if Photos is the leak you actually have. DailyNewsTalk keeps shots in the thread, and they are not written to the camera roll.
What this page cannot promise
A Threema ID lets you use the app without linking a phone number. Threema also uses measures designed to minimise metadata collection, but the ID itself does not hide metadata. It does not hide a chat icon from someone holding your unlocked phone. A Threema PIN hides a thread, not the app name on the grid. Media you export can land in Photos. Screenshot blocks fail if someone uses another camera. Do not use this to contact people who did not ask to talk.