Messaging in DNA Connect
Messaging in DNA Connect looks and feels like any modern messenger. The difference is what happens underneath: your messages travel over a network run by independent computers, locked so that only you and the person you are talking to can read them.
Adding contacts
Friends find each other by name — the name you picked when you created your identity. There are no phone numbers to exchange and no contact lists uploaded from your phone. Add someone by their name and start talking.
Everything is encrypted, always
Every message is end-to-end encrypted before it leaves your device. Only the person you send it to can unlock it — not the network, not CPUNK, not anyone in between. There is no "secret chat" mode to remember: encryption is on for every message, every time, and cannot be switched off.
DNA Connect uses new-generation encryption designed to stay secure even against future quantum computers. Messages you send today are protected against the technology of tomorrow.
What if my friend is offline?
Just send the message. If your friend's device is off or unreachable, the network holds the encrypted message for up to 7 days and delivers it when they come back online. While it waits, it stays locked — the computers storing it cannot read it.
Reactions and starred messages
Open a message's menu to react with an emoji, or star it to save it. Starred messages have their own list on the More screen, so the important stuff — an address, a promise, a good joke — is always one tap away.
Group conversations
Groups get the same protection as private chats: end-to-end encrypted, members only. See Contacts & Groups for creating groups and handling invitations.
Where are my messages stored?
Your conversation history lives in encrypted storage on your device. If you want more, turn on message backup (Settings → Data & Storage): the app then keeps an encrypted copy on the network — locked with your own keys, so the computers storing it cannot read a word. When you restore your identity on a new device, the app looks for that backup and offers to bring your history back. No backup turned on, no history to restore — that is the trade-off of a service that cannot read your data.
Common questions
Do I need to verify anything to be secure?
No. Security in DNA Connect is automatic. There are no keys to compare and no settings to enable — the app handles all of it.
Can CPUNK read my messages?
No. Messages are locked on your device and unlocked only on your friend's device. Nobody in between — including the people who build DNA Connect — can read them.
Why did my message take a moment to arrive?
Your messages travel across a network of independent computers rather than one central server. Delivery is usually quick, but can occasionally take a little longer than centralized apps — that is the price of having no single company in the middle.