this post was submitted on 12 Jul 2026
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I use SimpleX and one of the features I really like is the self-destruct code. You can have one pin that allows you to open your chats like normal, but if you input a self-destruct code instead the app opens like normal but deletes all information in the background and wipes your profile. All the user sees is an empty profile and empty chat history.
So if you're at a protest or something and MUST have your phone, you still have a safeguard against communication snooping. Say your phone is confiscated and they obtain your device lock, there's nothing they can do about the self-destruct code. "I just downloaded the app in case I ever needed to use it for sensitive data with my wife, but we never ended up using it."
I do wish that they allowed keypad scrambling though. Even stock Android allows lockscreen pinpad scrambling to avoid fingerprint code hinting.
does it also have a deadman switch
Not sure what you mean, but you can set it to immediately lock when the device is locked. So all it takes is for the screen to sleep or manually lock the phone.
I set mine to immediately lock but there's options for 5, 10, 30 seconds, etc.
It would be an auto-self destruct if you take more than X amount of days between successfully entering a code. So, like, if you died, it’d wipe itself after a certain number of days automatically.
Ah, not to my knowledge. But for me, considering everything is locally encrypted, thats sufficient. I'd imagine that the prospect of accidentally wiping the contents with an incorrect passcode would delay any attempts to crack it.