Secret chat. How to quickly and easily open a secret chat in Viber

Anyone for whom the issue of security of personal information is at least a little important was interested in what is a secret chat in Viber? And for good reason. The developers made a wonderful gift to the users of their application and provided the opportunity. You can communicate on absolutely any topic, and the application will automatically delete all messages, thereby protecting your personal information. Now you don’t have to worry that someone else will be able to use your phone while you’re not vigilant and leave it unattended and intrude into your private life. This will certainly appeal to those who often discuss work issues on Viber, for example, and share plans and business ideas. Leakage of such information can lead to large financial losses.

What if you don't know? We have written a full review of all the features of the application.

But on the other hand, excessive secrecy can lead to negativity from loved ones or paranoia. The likelihood of unnecessary suspicion and even attacks of jealousy increases, so do not overdo it with conspiracy.

How does secret chat work in Viber?

So what does it all mean: viber secret chats? These are the same dialogs as all the others, but they have an additional encryption and security method applied to them. They will be displayed in the general dialogue thread, but with a closed lock icon. Their essence is that you are free to set a certain period of time, after which the messenger itself will delete messages from both you and your interlocutor. Please note that there may be several of them. In fact, even all conversations can be secret and your dialogues will be automatically cleared. This is how secret chat works in Viber.

How to create a secret chat

1. Go to the menu in the dialogue section;
2. Click on the plus sign in the lower right corner;

The line “Create a secret chat” will appear at the top;
Select a contact from the list provided;
When finished, click on the checkmark in the upper right corner.

Or you can go to the additional menu in any existing dialogue and press the button to go to a secret conversation.

In this way you can organize secret correspondence. And how you can find out from us in this article.

How to remove secret chat

1. Open the Viber menu in the correspondence section;
2. Enter the desired dialogue;

3. Click on the three vertical dots in the upper right corner to display additional information;
4. Select “Go to normal dialogue”.

How to find it

Since all messages are sooner or later deleted from the conversation, there is little point in searching. You can find it by simply scrolling through all the conversations, and if you want to write something else secretly, it’s easier to create a new chat, fortunately this is done in two clicks.

Watch the video from the official. channel:

How to set up a self-destructing dialogue in Viber

1. Availability of the function on certain OS; Currently, only owners of smartphones on Android and IOS can use this option. Happy owners of Windows Phone can feel free to communicate openly, and the same applies to everyone who has the computer version of the application installed.
2. Disappearance timer; You can independently set a time interval ranging from 1 minute to 1 week, after which messages will be destroyed.
3. Notification about screenshots; If your interlocutor decides to take a photo of the screen to save the conversation, you will receive a notification about this and will be able to quickly resolve the situation.
4. Forwarding protection; No text can be forwarded to another user, the program prohibits copying and forwarding actions.
5. End-to-end encryption; As with any message in Viber, the end-to-end encryption method is applied, that is, the decryption keys are held only by the sender and the recipient, so no one else will be able to find out what is hidden inside the message.

Now you know how to use secret chat in Viber and what the pros and cons of using it may be. A competent approach in any situation will help enhance the positive effect and reduce the disadvantages, so you always need to know the balance and use everything in moderation.

Viber has taken very serious measures to improve the confidentiality of your correspondence: now all the information you transmit - texts, photos, videos - is encrypted and is inaccessible to anyone, including the system developers themselves. But encryption is useless if an attacker can take over your phone. The only way to protect yourself, in this case, is to hide the chat in Viber - this function allows you to set a password and hide your conversations not only on phones with iOS and Android, but also on your computer.

Not to be confused with secret chats

Secret chats are chats in which messages are automatically deleted after a certain time, which is specified in the settings. This was first used by Pavel Durov in the Telegram messenger, popular in Europe, which to this day is considered the most secure. Learn more about secret chats.

What is hidden chat in viber and how does it work

All such chats are protected by a PIN code, which is the same for all interlocutors, so you only need to remember one 4-digit combination. You can open such a conversation and write a new message to the recipient by selecting the subscriber's name and entering a PIN code, but if you receive a letter, it is displayed only as a mark in chats, the addressee is not indicated, and to understand who it came from, you will have to look through all your dialogues which you hid. This is some cost of Viber's secrecy.

Your interlocutor is not informed that you are hiding the conversation with him, so the secrecy concerns only your device. If you want the conversation to be protected on the other side, ask your interlocutor to install this function too. The use of hidden chats is only possible on iPhones, iPads and gadgets running Android OS. This feature is not available on PCs or Windows Phone mobile devices, but if you hide something on your phone, it won't show up on your computer.

If you forget the PIN you created, you can reset it, but this will delete all your secret conversations. Whether this is considered an advantage or a disadvantage is up to each subscriber. If conversations need to be saved, don't lose your password.

How to open hidden chat in Viber

If you want to create a secret correspondence with any of your subscribers so that it does not appear on your screen, you need to follow these simple steps:

On Android

You can also hold your finger longer on the line of dialogue you have selected. This will bring up a small menu with a “Hide chat” section. By clicking it, you will also need to enter the invented PIN code.

On iPhone

There are two ways to hide a chat:

In the list of all chats, swipe left on the one you want and tap Hide.
Go to the chat, click on the name of the interlocutor, in the list that opens, select “Information and settings” and at the very bottom “Hide chat”.

You can also cancel stealth through "Information and Settings"

How to enter a hidden conversation

In order to find out how to find hidden chats in Viber, just look at the screenshots and read the instructions.

The list of all chats must include:

Press the search button (magnifying glass image);
Dial the PIN code you set earlier;
You will be shown all your classified chats - click the one you want to open.

Once you've completed your conversation, you won't need to take any action to hide your messages. Just close Viber or return to the chat window. The correspondence will be hidden automatically.

“This way you will only see chats that you have created previously. Naturally, if you didn’t create any chats and you weren’t added to them, there won’t be any secret conversations.”

How to unsecure a chat

Time passed, and you realized that the secrecy of a specific conversation is no longer necessary. It is quite acceptable to make a secret chat visible to everyone again. In order to open a previously hidden chat, you need to enter the settings mode (gear image) and agree to the proposal to “make the dialogue visible”. To confirm your consent, you will finally have to enter your PIN code.

It is easier to reset a forgotten PIN code. The prompt to enter your PIN code is accompanied by a prompt to reset it. But remember that your protected conversation will be completely deleted and you will not be able to restore it.

You can go another way: in the settings, select the “Privacy” line, and in this section – “Hidden chats”. Here you will also be asked to change or reset your PIN code. Resetting it will delete all your hidden chats.

If you choose the “change code” option, for example, when you feel that your secret may be revealed, you will be asked to first enter your current PIN code and then enter the new code twice. That's it - your password has been changed.

What is secret chat

Secret chat in Viber is designed for secret communication. Access to messages will be denied to both unauthorized persons and the company server. Using this function, you can calmly discuss the most important and intimate issues related to work factors and personal life. Even if your gadget falls into the wrong hands, you don’t have to worry that someone will steal an interesting idea or find out confidential information; the application will delete the correspondence automatically after the time you set.

Viber also has a concept - this is not the same as a secret chat.

Let's figure out how secret chat works in Viber. A special coding and protection technique is used for such dialogues. They are marked with a lock icon. The user himself sets the time after which the letters are destroyed. Unlike simple conversations, you cannot delete some messages here; the correspondence is completely deleted.

How to find a secret chat in Viber? You can find a dialogue by scrolling through all conversations from beginning to end. But there is no point in looking for it, since all messages are deleted, and only empty windows remain, which take up space on the device and arouse suspicion if they are discovered by strangers. This is a flaw of the creators. We hope that the problems will be resolved in the near future.

Invisible dialogues have their own characteristics:

Viber secrets are available to owners of devices with the operating system and;
it is possible to set the option to self-destruct messages, starting from 1 minute and up to a week;
if the interlocutor takes a screenshot of the correspondence, you will receive a notification about this and will be able to resolve the situation;
texts cannot be copied and forwarded to third parties;
End-to-end encryption will protect Viber secrets on the phone, since only the one who sends and receives can decrypt them.

Now you know what a secret chat in Viber is and you can be sure that it can store.

How to create a secret chat

Many users are wondering: how to create a secret chat in Viber? There are two ways this can be done, and they are all quite simple.

go to the application;
go to the contacts section;
select the person you need by scrolling or through search and click on him;
click on the line “Free message”;
in the open dialog box, select the icon with three vertical dots;
Click "Go to secret chat."

open the messenger;
click on the “+” icon in the blue circle, which is located in the lower right corner of the monitor;
select the line “Secret chat”;
add an interlocutor from the list;
check "Done".

If you need to hide an existing conversation, follow these steps:

go to the dialogue section;
stop at the one you want to make secret;
open the auxiliary menu (three dots at the top of the display);
Click on the “Go to secret chat” item.

That's all! You have a hidden correspondence in Viber ready.

Delete messages in a secret conversation

After discussing an important topic, many are interested in how to disable secure chat in Viber. This is done like this:

go to a secret conversation with a picture of a castle;
click on the icon with three vertical dots located in the upper right corner to open additional information;
go to “Information and Settings”;
select the line “Go to regular chat”.

This way, you switch the private conversation to traditional mode, which will not delete messages. But there will still be two conversations on the device: one normal, the second with a lock. If the need for secret correspondence arises again, you can simply go to the existing one; for this, the PIN code is entered again.

If you are thinking about how to delete a secret chat from Viber altogether, there is nothing complicated about it either.

go to the list of conversations;
tap on an unwanted conversation and hold your finger on it;
in the window that appears, select the “Delete chat” line.

Now you know how to remove a secret chat in Viber if there is no longer a need for its secrecy or existence.

Not to be confused with hidden conversation

Some users make a mistake and enable hidden conversation. A hidden conversation differs from a secret conversation in that information is not deleted in it. If you discussed some important event that strangers should not know about, and you want to save the content, then you hide the dialogue using a special option.

Viber's competitors have long modified their applications, adding the ability to communicate anonymously. This function significantly increases the popularity of the product among users, as it gives them greater security. Finally, this feature has been added to Viber. Now you don’t have to worry about your correspondence and its availability to a wide range of people.

How exactly does secret chat work?

In appearance, private chats look the same as regular ones. But they have a padlock icon next to them, which indicates that these messages were transmitted using an encrypted connection. But these are not all the possibilities.

For these types of dialogues, you can set any time period after which the messages will be automatically deleted. Therefore, even if someone gains unauthorized access to your device, they will be disappointed. Now you know that this is a secret chat in Viber.

Create a secret chat

You can go directly from the regular dialogue

As you can see, this method is much faster than the first.

Setting up auto-delete

The anonymity architecture is provided by an end-to-end encryption system. In it, to read the information, you need an access key. Which is issued only to the sender and recipient. Even if unauthorized access is obtained, the attacker will not be able to read the messages.

In March 2017, the company introduced a new version of the Viber program with a secret chat function. As noted in the press release, the update is aimed at improving the security and privacy of selected conversations.

What is a secret chat in Viber.

You will need this function when you want to increase the security measures for personal correspondence with other people in addition to encryption. Another dialog is created with exactly the same icon, but with a padlock on the chat icon. If you start correspondence in a new account, this will not lead to the removal or replacement of the old one.

It is worth pointing out that even in regular correspondence, you can use a timer to delete selected SMS messages that contain photos or video materials, and “Secret chats” provide the opportunity to delete all messages at once.

Main characteristics:

you can set a self-destruct timer from one second to several days for all messages sent to the chat;
The ability to take a screenshot (screenshot) during correspondence is blocked. On most smartphones, this function will not be available, and in rare cases, if you manage to do this, then other participants in the conversation will automatically receive notifications about this action;
it is impossible to forward a message to a third party, this is especially true for photo or video content;
Available only on mobile devices (smartphones).

How to create a secret chat.

In the messenger, when you create such a chat, another one appears in addition to the usual one, which differs only in the lock on the dialogue icon. These are two independent dialogues, the correspondence between them is not synchronized.

Open the chat we need and move the panel to the left with your finger to go to additional settings. Click on the line “Go to secret chat”.

If your friend has not updated the application, you will receive a message asking you to send a notification. If there is no version conflict, then the recipient will automatically create a new conversation when sending the first message.

Upon completion of all actions, an informative short text about the new features will be visible on the welcome screen.

Users can hide their secret chats and access them again later by entering a PIN. To do this, after creating a secret chat, you need to find it in the list of chats, swipe to the left and click on the “Hide” button.

How to use secret chat in Viber

Correspondence in such a chat is no different from a regular one, the only difference is that you can set a timer for deleting sent SMS for all messages.

You yourself will control what information you can leave in the history on your friend’s device, and what information you can just show for reference and not worry about your photo or news being forwarded to someone else. Moreover, by setting a short period of time for viewing SMS, you don’t have to worry that the recipient will be able to quickly call another person and show it to someone else. The interval can be set from one second to 7 days or set the “Unlimited” option.

Attention: By default, all SMS have a set lifetime of 1 minute.

You can delete a hidden chat, just like a regular one, by clicking on the corresponding line in the dialogue settings. If you have questions, ask in the comments.