What is Talks used for?

Talks is an iPhone private messenger with end-to-end encrypted one-to-one chats, self-deleting messages, voice and video calls and real-time translation. It is a good fit for private conversations that expire automatically, talking across languages with live translation and group video calls without an email account.

Is Talks open source?

No. Talks is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. In the Team Chat category, open-source options include FluffyChat, Signal Android and Signal iOS.

What are some alternatives to Talks?

Talks competes with Signal, Telegram and WhatsApp.

Talks: features, pricing and alternatives

About Talks

Talks is a messaging app that signs users up with a phone number and a one-time SMS code, with no email or password. One-on-one chats are end-to-end encrypted between devices, and disappearing messages are permanently deleted from the servers when a timer runs out. Voice and video calls work one-to-one and in groups and connect peer to peer, and users can control who sees their online status and last seen.

The app is localized in 50 languages and Premium adds real-time message translation. Importing phone contacts is optional and the listing says they are used only for matching. Free use covers private messaging, while Premium, an auto-renewing subscription, adds unlimited messaging and calls, translation, adjustable timers for disappearing messages, bigger file transfers and larger groups and an ad-free experience. The app is rated 18 and over.

Key features

End-to-end encrypted one-on-one chats
Disappearing messages deleted from servers
Voice and video calls, one-to-one and group
Sign-up with phone number and SMS code
Real-time translation across 50 languages on Premium
Last seen and online status controls

Good fit for

Private conversations that expire automatically
Talking across languages with live translation
Group video calls without an email account

Tags: messenger; end-to-end-encryption; privacy; disappearing-messages; video-calls; translation; ios; mobile-app

Talks: questions and answers

What is Talks used for?: Talks is an iPhone private messenger with end-to-end encrypted one-to-one chats, self-deleting messages, voice and video calls and real-time translation. It is a good fit for private conversations that expire automatically, talking across languages with live translation and group video calls without an email account.
Is Talks free?: Yes. Talks has a free plan.
Is Talks open source?: No. Talks is proprietary (closed-source) software and can't be self-hosted. In the Team Chat category, open-source options include FluffyChat, Signal Android and Signal iOS.
What are some alternatives to Talks?: Talks competes with Signal, Telegram and WhatsApp.