Frequently asked questions

OKIAS Messenger is in closed beta and distributed outside the Play Store. Download the APK from the download page, then allow the one-time install from your browser. Because the app isn't on the Play Store yet, Android and Play Protect may show extra warnings — that's expected for any off-store app, not a sign anything is wrong.

Open the app and enter your email address. We send you a 6-digit code to confirm it, then you set a password — that's your account. Adding a phone number is optional, and no invite code is required.

OKIAS Messenger runs on Android 8.0 (Oreo) and newer. During the beta it's Android-only; an iOS app is planned for a later phase and we'll announce it when it's genuinely ready.

The messenger is free to use — sending messages, calls, media and voice notes costs nothing. Some business features and paid communities may involve payments in future, but those are always decided and shown clearly by our servers before anything is charged, never taken silently.

OKIAS Messenger is a privacy-first messenger for people and businesses where every private message, photo and voice note is end-to-end encrypted by default — so no one, not even OKIAS, can read your conversations. It's built for Pakistan first, with first-class Urdu and right-to-left support.

Yes — genuinely, not just as a marketing line. Private one-to-one and group messages use the open, independently audited Signal Protocol (libsignal), the same cryptography trusted by security professionals worldwide. Content is encrypted on your device before it's sent and can only be decrypted on the recipient's device. We never roll our own crypto and never weaken it with backdoors.

No. Private one-to-one and group messages, attachments and voice notes are end-to-end encrypted using the Signal Protocol, so their content is never readable on our servers. Our servers only route opaque ciphertext they cannot open. Channels (broadcast) are not end-to-end encrypted — see the Security page for exactly what that means.

Your encryption keys are generated and stored only on your devices, protected by the Android Keystore. There is no master key and no key escrow, so we can't hand your keys over or decrypt your conversations — even if a court, an employee or an attacker demanded it. We simply don't hold them.

Compare safety numbers. Each conversation has a unique safety number you can check by scanning a QR code or reading the digits aloud together. If a contact reinstalls or changes device the safety number changes and OKIAS alerts you, so you can re-verify before sharing anything sensitive.

We can't see the content of your private chats. To run the service we do handle limited metadata — such as your phone number, account identifiers and delivery routing information — kept to a minimum and retained only as long as needed. The Security page has a full breakdown.

Two-step verification lets you set a registration PIN so no one can re-register your number without it. It defends against SIM-swap and number-takeover attempts. Your PIN only guards registration — it is never used to decrypt your messages.

No. OKIAS has no advertising trackers, builds no advertising profile of you, and does not sell your personal information. Because your message content is end-to-end encrypted, it could never be mined for ads even if we wanted to — and we don't.

Bring family, friends or a team into one place and share messages, media and voice notes together. Private groups are end-to-end encrypted the same way one-to-one chats are — every reply, reaction and file is protected. Admins get simple controls to manage members without the clutter.

Status lets you share photos, videos or text updates that disappear after a set time. You stay in control of who sees each update, and Status is protected with the same privacy-first approach as the rest of OKIAS — it's for the people you choose, not the public.

Yes. Share photos and videos in full quality and record crisp voice notes in a single tap. Every attachment is encrypted end to end with its own key before it leaves your device, so quality never comes at the cost of privacy.

Yes. You can turn on disappearing messages in a chat so they're automatically removed from both devices after a chosen time — useful when you want a conversation to leave no lasting trace.

Fully. OKIAS is built for Pakistan first, with first-class Urdu and complete right-to-left (RTL) layout throughout the app and this website — not a bolt-on translation. Every screen, string and control is designed to read beautifully in Urdu.

Yes. You can link OKIAS on the web while your phone stays in your pocket. Each linked device holds its own independent keys — linking never copies your primary key — and requires confirmation on your primary phone.

You can review every linked device and its last-active time, and unlink any of them instantly. Once unlinked, a device immediately loses access to your messages.

Each linked device is independently keyed, so OKIAS Web keeps working with its own keys after you link it. Linking is confirmed on your primary phone, and you can review or unlink any web session from your phone at any time.

Create a business profile to be considered for a verified badge. The badge is issued by our servers, so it can never be faked by an app on the phone. Identity verification (KYC) is planned as part of this flow.

Paid groups and payouts are planned, not live yet. When they arrive, memberships will be decided by our servers so access always matches what was actually paid, and payouts will reach the methods you already use in Pakistan — bank transfer, Payoneer, JazzCash and Easypaisa.

You can delete your account from within the app under Settings > Account, or follow the public steps on our account deletion page. Deletion removes your account, profile and keys, and clears associated data per our retention policy. It's permanent and can't be undone.

Your messages are already unreadable to us because they're end-to-end encrypted. On deletion they're removed from delivery queues, you're removed from your groups, and related membership records tied to you are cleared. When you request deletion, your account first enters a 7-day grace period during which you can cancel if you change your mind.

OKIAS backups are encrypted on your device with a passphrase or recovery key that only you hold. That means your backup stays private — but it also means we cannot read or restore it for you. Keep your recovery material somewhere safe, because if you lose it, no one, including OKIAS, can recover your backup.

Your OKIAS account is based on your email address — you sign in with your email, a one-time 6-digit code and a password you set. A phone number is optional and only used if you choose to add one. You don't need a phone number to create or use your account.