Blackphone & Silent Circle Apps: Security Guide

TL;DR

This guide helps you get the most out of your Blackphone and its pre-installed Silent Circle apps for secure communication. We’ll cover app setup, best practices, and troubleshooting common issues.

1. Initial Setup & Account Creation

1. Silent Phone: When you first turn on your Blackphone, it will prompt you to create a Silent Circle account. This is essential for making secure calls and sending encrypted messages. Use a strong password!
2. Silent Text: The same account credentials used for Silent Phone also work for Silent Text. Ensure both apps are linked to the same account.
3. Account Verification: Check your email after creating the account. You’ll receive a verification link – click it to activate your account fully.

2. Using Silent Phone

1. Making Calls: Open Silent Phone and select a contact from your address book. If they are also using Silent Phone, the call will be end-to-end encrypted.
2. Adding Contacts: If a contact isn’t in your list, you can add them manually. Note that they *must* also be using Silent Phone for secure calls to work.
3. Call Logs: Silent Phone does not store call logs on its servers. Call history is only kept locally on your device.

3. Using Silent Text

1. Sending Messages: Open Silent Text, select a contact, and type your message. The message will be encrypted before sending.
2. Disappearing Messages: A key feature of Silent Text is disappearing messages. You can set a timer for each conversation to automatically delete messages after a specified period (e.g., 24 hours, 7 days). Configure this in the conversation settings.
3. Read Receipts: Read receipts are enabled by default. You can disable them per contact if you prefer more privacy.

4. Security Best Practices

• Keep Your Apps Updated: Regularly update Silent Phone and Silent Text to benefit from the latest security patches and features. Check the Blackphone app store for updates.
• Strong Passwords: Use strong, unique passwords for your Silent Circle account. Consider using a password manager.
• Device Security: Protect your Blackphone with a strong PIN or biometric lock (fingerprint).
• Verify Contacts: When communicating with important contacts, verify their Silent Circle key fingerprint out-of-band (e.g., in person) to ensure you’re talking to the correct person and not an imposter.
• Be Aware of Phishing: Be cautious of suspicious links or messages asking for your account credentials.

5. Troubleshooting Common Issues

1. Call Quality Problems: Poor call quality can be caused by a weak network connection. Try moving to an area with better signal strength.
2. Messages Not Sending/Receiving: Check your internet connection and ensure both you and the recipient have working Silent Circle accounts.
3. Account Login Issues: Double-check your username and password. If you’ve forgotten your password, use the “Forgot Password” option on the Silent Circle website.
4. App Crashing: Try clearing the app cache and data (Settings > Apps > Silent Phone/Silent Text > Storage > Clear Cache/Clear Data). Note that clearing data will require you to log in again.

6. Advanced Settings & Privacy

Explore the advanced settings within each app for further customization of your privacy preferences.

• Silent Phone: Check options related to call recording (if enabled) and network settings.
• Silent Text: Review message retention policies, read receipt controls, and notification settings.