Frequently Asked Questions

PiperChat is a truly decentralized, peer-to-peer messaging platform that operates without any central servers. Unlike Signal, WhatsApp, or Telegram, PiperChat connects users directly to each other, eliminating the need to trust any corporation or infrastructure provider.

Messages are end-to-end encrypted and travel directly between peers, with support for text messaging, file transfers, voice and video calls, and group chats—all without relying on centralized infrastructure.

While Signal offers strong encryption, it still requires central servers to operate. PiperChat has no servers at all. Your messages travel directly between peers without any intermediary.

Signal requires a phone number and can collect metadata about when you message and who you contact. PiperChat uses cryptographic identity only—no phone numbers, no email addresses, and zero metadata collection is architecturally possible.

See our detailed comparison page for more information.

Yes, PiperChat is completely free to use with no subscriptions, no ads, and no premium tiers. Because there are no servers to maintain, there are no ongoing operational costs to pass on to users.

PiperChat is available for:

Desktop: macOS (Apple Silicon & Intel), Windows (x64), Linux (AppImage, DEB, RPM)

Mobile: iOS 15+, Android 8.0+

Web: Any modern browser with WebRTC support (Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge)

Yes! PiperChat supports Bluetooth mesh networking, allowing you to communicate directly with nearby peers without any internet connection. This works over local networks, WiFi Direct, and Bluetooth Low Energy.

This makes PiperChat ideal for situations where internet access is unavailable, restricted, or unreliable.

There are no accounts in PiperChat! When you first launch the app, it automatically generates a cryptographic keypair that serves as your identity. Your public key becomes your Peer ID—that's all you need.

No phone number, no email address, no registration form. Just install and start chatting.

To connect with someone, you need their Peer ID (their public key). You can share this by:

QR Code: Generate a QR code of your Peer ID and have someone scan it

Text: Copy and send your Peer ID through any channel

Nearby: Use Bluetooth discovery to find peers in physical proximity

Once you have someone's Peer ID, add them as a contact and you can start messaging immediately.

For direct peer-to-peer connections, both peers need to be online for messages to be delivered immediately. However, PiperChat supports optional relay servers that can store-and-forward messages when a peer is offline.

These relay servers only see encrypted messages—they cannot read content or metadata—and are entirely optional. You can run your own relay or use community-provided ones.

Yes, but each device has its own identity (keypair). To use the same identity across devices, you need to securely transfer your private key between devices.

We provide tools for exporting and importing keys securely. Always keep your private key protected—it's your identity.

Your private key IS your identity in PiperChat. If you lose it, you lose access to that identity permanently. There is no password reset, no account recovery—this is the tradeoff for not requiring any central authority.

We strongly recommend backing up your private key securely. The app will prompt you to do this when you first set up.

PiperChat uses modern, proven cryptographic algorithms:

Encryption: ChaCha20-Poly1305 authenticated encryption

Key Exchange: X25519 Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman

Signatures: Ed25519 for message authentication

Hashing: BLAKE3 for content addressing

No. PiperChat's peer-to-peer architecture makes data collection technically impossible. There are no servers to collect data, no analytics, no telemetry, and no tracking.

We don't know who you message, when you message, or even that you exist. Your communication is entirely between you and your peers.

PiperChat's end-to-end encryption ensures that only you and your intended recipient can read messages. With no central servers, there's no infrastructure to compel, compromise, or surveil.

However, if someone has physical access to your device, they could potentially access your messages. Always protect your devices with strong passwords and encryption.

PiperChat provides pseudonymity, not anonymity. Your Peer ID (public key) is a consistent identifier. If someone knows your Peer ID is associated with you, they can identify your communications.

For true anonymity, you would need to use PiperChat over Tor or a VPN, and be careful about operational security (not revealing your identity through message content, patterns, etc.).

A formal security audit is planned for Q2 2026. In the meantime, PiperChat's protocol specification and source code are publicly available for community review and audit.

We welcome security researchers to examine our code and report any vulnerabilities to security@piperchat.io.

PiperChat establishes direct connections between peers using their IP addresses. Peers can discover each other through:

Direct connection: If you know a peer's IP address and they're reachable

DHT peer discovery: Distributed hash table for finding peers

Relay servers: Optional servers that help with NAT traversal and offline message storage

Local discovery: Bluetooth and LAN broadcasting for nearby peers

Relay servers are optional infrastructure that help with two things:

NAT traversal: Helping peers behind firewalls connect to each other

Offline messages: Storing encrypted messages when a recipient is offline

Relay servers only see encrypted data—they cannot read your messages or metadata. You can run your own relay server or use community-provided ones. PiperChat works without relays if both peers are directly reachable.

No. PiperChat has no blockchain, no cryptocurrency, no tokens, and no mining. It's a pure peer-to-peer messaging protocol with no financial components.

Text messages use minimal bandwidth (typically under 1 KB per message). File transfers, voice calls, and video calls use bandwidth comparable to other messaging apps:

Voice calls: ~40 kbps

Video calls: ~500 kbps - 2 Mbps depending on quality

File transfers: Variable based on file size

Yes! The relay server software is freely available. You can run a relay for your own use or make it available to the wider PiperChat community.

Instructions for setting up a relay server are available in our technical documentation.

Development source code and protocol specifications are publicly available. Check our GitHub repository or contact us for access to the codebase.

Check the following:

1. Is the recipient online? For direct peer connections, both parties need to be online.

2. Are you both using relay servers? If behind strict firewalls, you may need relay assistance.

3. Check your network connection and firewall settings.

4. Try restarting the application.

Connection issues are usually caused by:

Firewall blocking: Ensure PiperChat is allowed through your firewall

NAT issues: Try configuring a relay server to help with NAT traversal

Network configuration: Some corporate or school networks block peer-to-peer connections

Try using Bluetooth mode if you're physically near the person you're trying to reach.

Maintaining peer-to-peer connections requires the app to stay active in the background. To reduce battery usage:

1. Disable Bluetooth mesh if you're not using offline features

2. Close the app when you don't need real-time notifications

3. Use WiFi instead of cellular data when possible

Please report bugs through our GitHub issue tracker or email support@piperchat.io. Include:

• Your platform and PiperChat version

• Steps to reproduce the bug

• Any error messages you received

That depends on your threat model and needs. Choose PiperChat if you:

• Want true decentralization with no servers to trust

• Need censorship-resistant communication

• Value complete metadata privacy

• Don't want to share your phone number

• Need offline mesh networking capabilities

Signal may be better if you need a mature ecosystem with a large user base and prefer a centralized service with easier usability.

Yes, in several important ways. While WhatsApp uses end-to-end encryption, it:

• Collects extensive metadata and shares it with Facebook/Meta

• Requires a phone number

• Backs up messages to cloud storage (often unencrypted)

• Can be compelled by governments to cooperate with surveillance

PiperChat's decentralized architecture eliminates all of these concerns. See our detailed comparison.

Telegram's security is significantly weaker than PiperChat's:

• End-to-end encryption is optional and not default

• Most messages are stored on Telegram's servers

• Uses proprietary, unproven encryption (MTProto)

• Requires phone number registration

• Centralized and can be shut down or censored

PiperChat provides stronger security guarantees through decentralization and proven cryptography.