8 Great SMS Apps for Android that Offer Privacy Options

Keeping sensitive messages private is often a priority for many people, and the default SMS app on most Android phones simply does not have any feature that prevents your secret texts from being intercepted by snoopy individuals. Fortunately, many replacement SMS apps for Android are available for free or low cost and offer this feature. This list features the best privacy-focused SMS app options for Android.

Good to know: seeing the “Message blocking is active” error message on your Android device? Learn how to fix it.

Replacing Your Default SMS App

Some of the apps on this list replace your default SMS app on your Android device. During or after installation, you’ll be prompted to switch from whatever SMS app you’re currently using to the new app.

Other options on this list are messaging apps that can work alongside your default SMS apps. Many users handle all communications through messaging apps, as they’re more secure and offer encrypted messaging. Your default SMS app will continue to work as normal if you choose to install one of these instead.

Tip: make sure you never lose your SMS by learning how to back up text messages on Android.

1. Best for Open Source Encryption: Signal

Price: Free

When it comes to sending encrypted texts, Signal is easily one of the best SMS apps for Android. It supports chats, group chats, and video calling. Plus, it’s open-source technology, meaning users help keep the platform more secure. When sending messages back and forth between Signal users, you get end-to-end encryption.

The app offers basic customization, such as backgrounds, chat color, and themes. But privacy is at the forefront. You can set the app to lock using a password or whatever security option your phone uses. You can even set up locks to prevent unauthorized payments. Plus, you can send disappearing messages that auto-delete on both ends after a set period.

The only downside is that encryption only happens if both parties are using Signal. Otherwise, Signal has no control over the encryption on the recipient’s end. On the bright side, the app is free and has zero ads.

2. Best for Simple Privacy Box: Handcent Next SMS

Price: Free / starting at $5.99 per year

Handcent SMS is another solid option that’s packed with plenty of customization options, such as custom themes, backgrounds, fonts, ringtones, and more. It includes built-in spellchecking, automatic backups, and password protection. Also included is a private box for keeping sensitive messages private, but you need to sign up for a Handcent Online account to access this feature.

It’s completely free to use the private box feature. Once you have an account, you can set a custom lock, such as a pattern, PIN, or just your Handcent password. Then, automatically send messages here from specific senders. If someone’s snooping on your phone, this keeps their prying eyes away from your messages, but you have to remember to lock the box to keep things private.

Another benefit is setting specific chats to be encrypted. It’d be nice if you could set everything to be encrypted at the same time, but it’s a minor quibble. On the bright side, the app is not filled with ads and is easy to use, which is always a plus.

Tip: tired of ads popping up on your Android device all the time? Learn how to get rid of them.

3. Best for Basic Password Protection: Chomp SMS

Price: Free / $6.49

Chomp SMS is another app that has been around a long time (since the days of Eclair and Froyo) and is still available today. It sports a clean material design that is reminiscent of Google Messenger but packs many more features, such as pattern lock, spammer blacklisting, custom themes, delayed sending, scheduled SMS, templates, and much more.

The most notable downside is that there isn’t an encrypted messaging option. There are occasional ads, but they’re not intrusive, and you can pay a one-time fee to stop them.

If you just want to keep nosey people out of your texts, this is a great, minimal option. If you need to send encrypted private texts, it’s not the best choice.

FYI: learn how to stop apps from using your mobile data on Android by checking out our tutorial.

4. Best Anonymous SMS App: Threema

Price: $5.99

Threema is the only premium-only app on this list. However, the focus on anonymity can’t be beat. You can use the app without signing up, and messages are deleted from Threema’s servers the moment they’re delivered successfully. All communications, including messages and calls, are fully encrypted.

If you maintain a contact list or any groups, all data is stored locally on your device versus online. This keeps your data in your hands. Of course, the app is also open source, making it more likely to stay updated and secure.

Naturally, the downside is that you have to pay to use it. But it’s a one-time fee and worth it if you need to keep your messages as private as possible. It’s also available on Windows, iOS, Linux, macOS, and the Web. For many, the app might be overkill, though.

5. Best for Sending Large Files: Telegram

Price: Free / starting at $4.99 per month

If you send large files often, such as videos, Telegram is one of the best SMS apps for Android that also offers privacy options. By default, messages aren’t encrypted, and everything is stored on Telegram’s servers, including any media and files you send. But, Secret Chats ensure no one else sees your messages.

This is a special feature that offers end-to-end encryption and self-destructing messages, including any media sent. You can even set your account to delete after a set period if you wish. The only downside is that nothing’s encrypted unless you choose Secret Chats.

The app lets you enjoy group chats with up to 200,000 people and send files up to 2GB in size. You get a variety of editing features for photos and videos, emojis, customization options, and more. The app is also made to work reliably, even if your signal isn’t great.

6. Best Stock SMS Replacement: Messages by Google

Price: Free

While Google isn’t well-known for respecting user privacy, Messages by Google still serves as one of the best SMS apps for Android to replace your stock app. It has a familiar look and feel to most of the default/stock SMS apps, so it’s easy to pick it up. It also gives you spam protection and encrypted messaging.

The app uses RCS (rich communication services) but can fall back on SMS and MMS. With full end-to-end encryption, Google can’t see what you’re sending or receiving. Plus, it integrates with other Google services, such as creating calendar reminders with a single tap.

However, you can’t customize much of anything about the app. This leaves it looking and feeling plain and boring. Adding notification sounds and choosing between a light and dark theme is all that’s available.

Tip: get more productive while working in Google Keep with these keyboard shortcuts.

7. Best for Customization: Mood SMS

Price: Free / starting at $3.49 per month

If you hate having no customization options in Messages by Google, try Mood SMS instead. This replaces your default SMS app. Make the app your own with over a hundred themes, your own backgrounds, various bubble shapes and colors, animated emojis, and much more.

The free version gives you a Secret Mode that lets you password-protect conversations so that no one else can see them. The app does offer full encryption and even shows you the encryption status, but that’s only available in the premium version.

The main downside is the ads. They’re large banners that sometimes get in the way of your messages. Naturally, the only way to remove them is to upgrade to premium.

8. Best for Controlling Messages: Pulse SMS

Price: Free / starting at $1.99 per month

Pulse SMS offers customization for all conversations or on a per-conversation basis. Like most SMS apps, you’ll find plenty of emojis, GIFs, and animations. It’s a clean layout that makes it easy to focus on your messages. One place Pulse SMS really shines is the way it allows you to control your messages.

You can save time with Smart Replies. Or, if you tend to hit “Send” too quickly, enable the delayed sending option to give you time to delete or edit a message. You can even set up auto-replies based on contacts while you’re driving or busy. Of course, all messages are end-to-end encrypted, and you can even set up private password-protected conversations.

While there are banner ads running at the bottom, they’re not really a problem. You may want to upgrade to Pulse SMS+, though, if you want to sync messages between all your various devices, including viewing them in your favorite browser.

Upgrading Your SMS Experience

Now that you have a shiny new SMS app, learn how to easily forward text messages to email or the cloud on Android devices. If you prefer sending a text on your PC, try these options for sending messages from your desktop.

Image credit: Unsplash All screenshots by Crystal Crowder