Use One of These Apps to Encrypt Your Calls Because Your Phone Can’t.
When making a regular phone call from a mobile device, security is not guaranteed. Cellular protocols do not use end-to-end encryption, meaning the audio signal can be intercepted en route , for example, by carriers, law enforcement, or malicious actors. You may have ensured end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for your text messages by using a secure messaging app or dedicated RCS protocols for iOS and cross-platform protocols, but the same precautions should be taken for voice calls you want to keep private.
What is end-to-end encryption?
End-to-end encryption protects the content of messages and calls between users. All data is encrypted within the message and can only be decrypted and accessed on the recipient’s device using the correct decryption key. This means the data cannot be intercepted or read by anyone else, including the tech companies that own the messaging apps.
These are the best apps for encrypted calling.
Many of the secure messaging apps you use to encrypt text messages can also be used to make private calls:
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Signal: Signal is one of the best privacy-focused messaging apps, with end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for all messages and calls . By default, only you and the recipient can read and hear your messages.
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WhatsApp: All WhatsApp messages and calls are also automatically encrypted with end-to-end encryption .
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Messenger: Facebook Messenger also has end-to-end encryption (E2EE) enabled by default for all conversations, including messages and calls. (On Instagram, Meta recently disabled E2EE for direct messages.)
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Discord: Discord began rolling out end-to-end encryption (E2EE) for voice and video calls in 2024, and it’s now the default setting for all users .
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FaceTime: iOS users can take advantage of end-to-end encryption (E2EE) when making FaceTime voice and video calls to other Apple devices.
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Viber: Viber is a Voice over IP (VoIP) platform that enables end-to-end (E2EE) audio and video calling .
Additionally, some video conferencing platforms, such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom, offer the option to enable end-to-end encryption for meetings and calls. Calls between Android phones on the Google Fi Wireless network also use end-to-end encryption.