FAQ / answers collected in one place
A specific question. A verifiable answer.
From the beginning of the first conversation to the limits of plausible deniability: here you will find all the questions already addressed on the different pages of the site.
Getting started and understanding Layergram
The essential answers before choosing the first person and protecting the first message.
Do I have to convince all my contacts?
No. You can start with just one person and use Layergram only when it matters. You both need a verified Layergram identity, a simple process you complete only once.
What if I need to change devices or want to use more than one at a time?
You can restore your identity with a 24-word recovery phrase. Guard it as carefully as the recovery phrase for a crypto wallet. You can use the same identity on more than one device, but messages are not synchronized: decrypting a message on one device will not make it appear automatically in the same chat on another.
Why use it if my chat is already end-to-end encrypted?
A chat's end-to-end encryption protects messages as they travel between devices. Layergram adds a separate layer for content you compose and encrypt locally before handing it to the chat. It does not turn on or replace encryption in WhatsApp or another app. Contacts, timing, devices and the recipient's actions still matter.
Does Layergram hide a chat or encrypt a message?
It encrypts the content you choose. It does not archive or hide WhatsApp chats, control notifications or erase metadata. In the app, a cover message can make protected text less conspicuous, without making it undetectable. The system keyboard inserts encrypted text instead.
Plausible deniability
What does a passphrase-derived identity protect and what evidence remains outside its perimeter?
Are plausible deniability and encryption the same thing?
No. Encryption protects content from someone who does not have the key. Deniability concerns whether evidence can conclusively establish that specific protected data exists or that a particular person authored a message.
Does that mean no one can prove I used Layergram?
No. A Layergram link is recognizable and transport metadata, device artifacts, screenshots, backups or the other participant can provide evidence. Deniability concerns specific cryptographic and local signals, not every surrounding trace.
What happens to a passphrase identity when it is not active?
Its derived keys do not remain in memory, the identity does not appear as a regular local profile, and associated records remain opaque until the identity is derived again using the correct passphrase. Without the passphrase, those encrypted records alone do not establish that they belong to that inactive identity; evidence outside Layergram may still reveal the association.
Does Layergram protect an unlocked or compromised device?
Not alone. When an endpoint is unlocked, observed or compromised, evidence external to the encrypted payload can reveal contents or patterns of use.
Start free
Protect your first message
Start free. Choose one person. Invite them in a few steps.