ZChat 2.12.4, the version offered here, cannot send ZEC or on-chain messages. Zcash upgraded its network on 28 July 2026 and 2.12.4 does not know the new rules. It also may not show some ZEC sent to it. A fixed version, 2.13.0, is being tested. It is not published yet. Target: by 1 November 2026. If you already use ZChat: write down your recovery phrase and do not uninstall the app. Your funds stay on the blockchain and can be spent again after you update.
ZChat 2.12.4, la versión que se ofrece aquí, no puede enviar ZEC ni mensajes en la blockchain. Zcash actualizó su red el 28 de julio de 2026 y la 2.12.4 no conoce las reglas nuevas. También puede no mostrar parte del ZEC que recibe. La versión corregida, la 2.13.0, está en pruebas. Aún no está publicada. Objetivo: antes del 1 de noviembre de 2026. Si ya usas ZChat: anota tu frase de recuperación y no desinstales la app. Tus fondos siguen en la blockchain y podrás gastarlos de nuevo cuando actualices.
Private messaging, natively on Zcash.
Every message is a shielded ZEC transaction memo*. Encrypted on your device, never readable by us. On-chain metadata hidden by Zcash shielded transactions. No phone number, no email, no account — just download the app and start talking.
*In Shielded mode. ZChat carries messages three ways and you choose per conversation — see how the three modes differ.
Why ZCHAT?
Every message is end-to-end encrypted on your device. You choose, per conversation, whether it travels as a Zcash shielded transaction or free over NOSTR — either way, the content is readable only on the two devices at its ends.
Zero-knowledge on-chain mode
Pick Shielded mode for a conversation and each message rides inside a Zcash transaction, with sender, recipient, amount and content hidden by zero-knowledge proofs. The guarantee is computational: it rests on the strength of the proof system, and we claim nothing beyond that.
No Sign-Up Required
No phone number. No email. No account. Your identity is a Zcash address your device generates the moment you install the app — nothing to register, nothing to approve.
Messenger first, wallet included
Open mode is free, so you can start chatting with an empty wallet. When you want the on-chain modes, a built-in swap — a third-party integration — takes BTC, ETH, SOL or an ERC-20 token and returns ZEC without leaving the app.
Hidden in the shielded pool
A shielded message is one more note in Zcash's Orchard pool, indistinguishable from every other note in it. You are covered by all shielded Zcash activity, not only by other ZChat users.
Ironwood: in testing, not released
Zcash upgraded its network on 28 July 2026 (Ironwood). ZChat 2.12.4, the version offered here, still uses the older Orchard pool and cannot send on-chain since then. ZChat 2.13.0 uses the new Ironwood pool. It is being tested and is not published yet. Target: by 1 November 2026.
Your keys, your node
Encryption happens on your device and your keys never leave it. Point the app at any lightwalletd server, including one you run yourself.
How it works
An Android app that turns Zcash into a messaging layer
ZChat Android app
ZMSG v4 + E2E encryption
Shielded memo · or · NOSTR relay
Zcash mainnet (lightwalletd)
Three ways to carry a message
Putting every message on-chain is the strongest privacy guarantee and the most expensive one. ZChat lets you choose per conversation, so the cost matches what the conversation is worth to you.
Shielded
On-chain fee per messageEvery message is a memo inside a Zcash shielded transaction, and the zero-knowledge proofs hide sender, recipient, and amount. Nothing but the Zcash network carries the text. Attachments are the exception in every mode: the file is encrypted on your device, but the blob goes to a third-party media host and only a link travels in the memo.
Maximum privacy. You pay a network fee for each message, and delivery waits for a block.
Tunnel
One on-chain handshake, then freeA shielded on-chain handshake establishes the relationship. After that, messages travel free over NOSTR, still end-to-end encrypted with keys the chain anchored.
The chain footprint of a whole conversation is one handshake. Relays see an encrypted envelope and its recipient key, never the sender or the content.
Open
FreeEnd-to-end encrypted chat over NOSTR from the very first message, with no transaction at all. Messages from unknown senders wait in a Requests inbox until you approve them.
Fastest and free, with no on-chain anchor. Verify new contacts with safety numbers.
In Shielded mode your message is a memo inside a Zcash shielded transaction, and no server of ours carries it. In Tunnel and Open modes the encrypted envelope travels over NOSTR relays instead, which is what makes those modes free. Attachments are the one exception in every mode: the file is encrypted on your device, but the blob is uploaded to a third-party media host and only the link travels with the message.
We would rather be specific than reassuring, so: we run a NOSTR relay, a TURN server for calls, and a small backend for update checks and the optional AI tab. Two third-party relays are also used by default. A relay sees an encrypted envelope and the recipient key it is addressed to; it never sees who sent it or what it says. Encryption and decryption happen only on your device, and your keys never leave it. The lightwalletd server is yours to change in Settings, including to one you run yourself.
See ZCHAT in action
2-minute demo: sending fully private messages over Zcash mainnet.
Download ZCHAT
v2.12.4No email. No account. No waitlist. A direct, verifiable APK download — Android only. You choose per conversation whether a message rides inside a Zcash shielded transaction or travels free over NOSTR: three ways to carry a message.
Not in App Stores
iOS
App Store
Android
Google Play
Nothing is submitted to Google Play, the App Store, F-Droid, Samsung or the Solana dApp Store, and there is no iOS build — no Swift code exists yet. Store distribution comes after a third-party security audit and its remediation. We are not putting dates on it.
Direct Download (Android APK)
Android APK
Signed release · direct download
Download the signed APK straight from GitHub and sideload it. No email, no account, no waitlist.
This version cannot send on-chain since 28 July 2026. Read the notice above before you install.
Esta versión no puede enviar en la blockchain desde el 28 de julio de 2026. Lee el aviso de arriba antes de instalar.
or view all releases & checksums on GitHub
Verify this download
This APK is signed with ZCHAT's own release key — it is never re-signed by any app store. Its permanent certificate fingerprint is:
F1:7A:F1:28:23:CA:20:8B:63:2E:29:81:38:B7:89:13:74:F6:65:17:C8:9D:BF:BE:12:FC:3A:C3:65:01:C8:06Verify it yourself:
apksigner verify --print-certs -v ZChat.apkConfirm the "Signer #1 certificate SHA-256 digest" matches the value above — it never changes between versions.
Get notified about new builds
We don't run a mailing list, and we'd rather not hold your email address. Watch the repository on GitHub (Watch → Custom → Releases), or subscribe to the release feed in any RSS reader. The app also checks for updates itself.
Roadmap
Shipped
Android v2.12.4, released July 12, 2026. A signed APK you download straight from GitHub Releases — no email, no invite code, no waitlist. Android is the only platform: there is no iOS build, and the web client was deprecated and retired.
In testing
ZChat 2.13.0, which sends on the upgraded Zcash network (Ironwood). It is being tested and is not published yet. Target: by 1 November 2026.
Wanted
Third-party security audit — the first ZChat will ever have. None is booked. Until one is done, treat ZChat as unaudited software.
After the audit
Remediate findings during a 90-day responsible-disclosure window, then publish the auditor's report in full.
After remediation
iOS, the clearest unmet request — not started yet, and we will not name a date until it is. Then F-Droid, then broader store distribution: ZChat is in no app store today and nothing has been submitted.
Zypherpunk Hackathon 2025
ZChat received a prize at the Zypherpunk Hackathon 2025 in the Zcash-related projects track ($600), demonstrating that truly private messaging built on Zcash shielded transactions is viable.
Our focus is making privacy-first communication as simple as any normal messenger. No phone number, no email, no account required — just pure private messaging powered by zero-knowledge cryptography.
Ready to make messaging actually private?
Your identity is a Zcash address and the keys never leave your phone. No phone number, no email, no account for anyone to disable — and a shielded on-chain mode with no server of ours in the path, for the conversations that are worth the fee.
Privacy is necessary for an open society in the electronic age... We cannot expect governments, corporations, or other large, faceless organizations to grant us privacy out of their beneficence... We must defend our own privacy if we expect to have any... Cypherpunks write code.— A Cypherpunk's Manifesto
Get in touch
Questions? Feedback? Let's connect.
Fund Privacy
Every contribution helps us build tools that protect fundamental human rights. Privacy is not a luxury — it's a necessity.
Zcash (Shielded)
Fully private — recommended
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EVM (ETH/MATIC/etc.)
If you're Vitalik :)
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All donations go directly to ZCHAT development and infrastructure costs.