In a nutshell

Many’s a relationship that’s been scuppered by the old dodgy texts, but now that’s set to change with this nifty little plug-in. Make sure your most private texts stay exactly that with this bit of security genius, but be prepared for your mobile bills to rocket…

What’s it good for?

Keeping secrets.

Judgement time…

Text messaging is a minefield of embarrassment. Personal notes. Heartfelt messages. Spur of the moment sexual advances. All easily uncovered by prying eyes if your phone’s left unguarded.

CryptoGraph Messenger neatly plugs that security hole by giving you a second inbox – one that can encrypt and decrypt messages to your nearest and dearest. All messages also appear in the regular inbox, but if they’re secured with CryptoGraph, they’ll show up as gibberish to anyone nosey enough to look.

Access the CryptoGraph inbox equipped to unscramble them, and you’ll need a password to read the embarrassing contents. It’s a neat solution, but privacy comes at a price.

Sending even one sentence as an encrypted text means using the equivalent of four regular texts. That’s going to leave a hefty dent in your mobile bill if you use it for all your texting. What’s more, your friends will need CryptoGraph installed too, so if they don’t have an appropriate phone, you’re scuppered.

Sending your own contact details to friends equipped with CryptoGraph will also set you back around five regular texts, so you’ll be at least 50p down before you’ve even exchanged any words.

However, it’s one of the neatest solutions to keep your private patter under wraps. Check it out – there’s a free version, so you’ll be able to send basic messages without sorting out a licence key first, although you’ll only be able to use two contacts for encrypted chat.