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How to get Threema

Threema is a European privacy-focused messaging service. This post covers the what and why of Threema, and the steps to get started as an individual user.

Individual versus corporate users

This post focuses on Threema Private, the offering for individual users. If you're considering Threema Work or Threema Onprem, this post may be less relevant.

About Threema

Threema is a Swiss company with a German parent company providing three options for private messaging: Threema Work, Threema Onprem, and Threema Private.

All three products provide:

  • Broad platform support: apps for Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, and Linux. And a web client (in other words, you can run it in your browser without installing a separate app). Note that you must have a mobile app to use the desktop or web options.
  • Swiss development and infrastructure: developed in Switzerland, and run on Swiss servers.
  • End-to-end encryption and zero-knowledge principles: this means your messages can't be accessed except by you and the intended recipients of the messages. Even Threema can't see the content.
  • Anonymity: Threema doesn't require a phone number or email address. You can use a Threema ID instead.
  • GDPR compliant.

Threema Work is focused on companies, with support for things like enforcing corporate policies, user management tools, and access control. Threema Onprem is the self-hosted option. And Threema Private is the product for individuals.

Why Threema?

There are several reasons to give Threema a go (and also one major obstacle):

  • European alternative to WhatsApp: if you're currently trying to support European tech, or de-Americanise your tech, you need an alternative to WhatsApp. Signal is open source, and a decent option, but the organisation behind it is American.
  • Platform support: unlike many of the alternatives, Threema has broad support for different operating systems.
  • Good website and documentation: while getting set up and creating this guide, I found the Threema website and documentation usable and clear. This is especially important when switching to alternative services. If WhatsApp's documentation is bad, it doesn't matter so much - someone out there has probably written a guide for what you want to do. For less widely used services, there'll be less community support. That said, while I found the docs good, I didn't find a complete beginners' guide, hence this blog post.
  • Privacy focus: Threema has an exceptionally strong privacy focus.
  • It costs money: yes, this is a positive. For Threema Private, you pay a one-off 6 euro fee. The cliche "if the product is free, you are the product" is relevant here. Threema is a paid service, meaning its business model doesn't depend on advertising revenue (and thus doesn't depend on your data).

And the obstacle? Getting people to use it. It's been hard to get people to switch from WhatsApp to Signal - and Signal is free. However, with the renewed focus on European tech, and yet another round of headlines about Meta's privacy-invading tendencies, it's worth a try.

Getting started with Threema Private on Android

These are the initial setup steps on Android:

  1. Download the Threema app on mobile. You'll need to pay at this point.
  2. Open the app.
  3. Tap Set up now.
  4. Generate your unique Threema ID: when prompted, move your finger on the screen to generate a random ID.
  5. When Threema displays your ID, make a note of it. I recommend saving it in your password manager if you have one.
  6. Next, the app walks through setting up a password for Threema Safe. I recommend doing this. Make sure to save your password. Threema Safe is a backup that includes your Threema ID, contacts, groups, and some settings. It doesn't include your chats. Threema Safe ensures you don't lose your account when switching devices. More on backups below.
  7. Then there are some choices that affect privacy: nickname and whether to link your mobile number. I chose to use my real name and link my number, as this will make it easier to connect with people. If you are very concerned about privacy, use a nickname that isn't associated with you, and don't link your mobile number to your account.
  8. Threema confirms your choices. Tap Finish to complete the setup.
  9. At this point, it prompted me to enable contact sync. Again, because I'm not being too strict about privacy, I tapped Yes to enable this.
  10. When prompted, choose whether to allow notifications.

That's the initial setup complete. Next steps:

  • If you linked your mobile number during setup, you'll need to verify it. For me, the verification SMS never arrived, so I used the option to request a call.
  • Tap My Profile to customise your profile options, including your picture. You can also link an email here.
  • Install desktop apps or access in the browser: follow the guides Threema Private | App Download.

Read the backups section

If you're used to WhatsApp, you're probably used to everything automatically backing up and syncing. On more privacy-focused apps, you need to do a little more work here. Make sure to read the Backup section as well as the initial setup steps.

Back up data and ensure account access

Threema offers three backup and account preservation methods: ID export, Threema Safe, and Data Backup.

Understand

Threema ID export:

  • This is the unique ID you created during setup, along with the code to restore access.
  • The most minimal of the backup options: it only preserves your ID.

Threema Safe:

  • Automatic regular backup, handled by Threema.
  • Contains your ID, contacts, groups, and some settings, but doesn't contain your messages.
  • Independent from your operating system: this is the option to use if you switch between Android and iOS.
  • Use your ID and password to retrieve it.

Data Backup:

  • Contains all your data.
  • Gives you the option to choose your backup location. This is the option to use if you want to sync your backups off your mobile device.
  • Can't use this when changing operating system.

My recommended steps prioritise data preservation over privacy. I've taken a cautious approach, making sure all backup and restoration options are available.

  1. During setup: make a note of your Threema ID in a password manager. If you set up Threema Safe during setup, also save your password.
  2. If you skipped setting up Threema Safe during setup, do it now, using these steps: What is Threema Safe and how do I enable it?

  3. Export your Threema ID: this contains the public and private key of your Threema ID. I've covered the steps here, as when I did it there were slight differences to Threema's docs. If my steps don't work for you, try How does an ID export work? .

    1. In the mobile app, go to My Profile.
    2. Tap Export ID.
    3. Create a password. Make sure to save this password.
    4. Threema displays a QR code and long text string. Save this.
    5. When you're sure you've saved the code, tap the check mark to return to your profile settings.
    Public and private keys

    Key pairs are a way of securing and authenticating digital communication. You don't need to understand the details, but it's very important to have your Threema ID export with your keys, to ensure you can regain access to your Threema account if you lose or change phones. If you want more detail, Cloudflare has a short overview: What is public key cryptography?.

  4. Schedule reminders to do data backups: Threema's Data Backups (containing your full chat history) are manual. You can choose whether to just do this when switching phones, or whether to regularly do a manual backup. If your chats contain important information, and you're worried you could lose your phone, it's worth creating regular backups. Follow the steps to create a backup: I have got a new phone - How do I transfer my data?. After creating the backup, you could add it to whichever file sync service you use, to ensure it's backed up off of your phone.

    File sync

    File sync services save your data off your device, allowing you to access it elsewhere. Examples include Google Drive, Dropbox, Proton Drive.

Next steps

Once you're up and running with Threema, it's time to tackle the really tricky bit: getting people to use it.

  • You can gift Threema to help friends and family try it out.
  • Share your Threema ID with friends:
    1. Tap your profile icon in the top left of the app.
    2. Tap the share icon.
    3. Copy the link or send to friends using other messaging services.