Frequently asked questions

PIING is a privacy-first messenger for iPhone, iPad and the web. Chat one-to-one or in groups, make voice and video calls, share Stories, see friends on the Friends Map, message people nearby over Bluetooth, and play mini apps together. No ads and no ad trackers.

Yes. Messaging, calls, groups, Stories, Friends Map, Ghost Mode, Mini Apps, Nearby and SOS are all free, with no ads. PIING Pro is an optional subscription for extras (bigger files, an unlimited Vault, Pro Lenses and a badge).

Smart replies, summaries, voice-message transcripts and translation can use AI. On iPhones with Apple Intelligence (iOS 26 or later) they run on your phone with Apple's own on-device features, so nothing leaves the phone, even in end-to-end encrypted chats. If your phone can't do it on-device, PIING asks your permission before it sends the text or audio to an AI service run by another company, and tells you which companies. Say no and nothing is sent. You can change this any time in Settings → AI. See the privacy policy for the full list.

iPhone and iPad from the App Store. Mac from the Mac App Store or the download page. Windows from the same page. Android, Linux and any other computer: the browser. Sign in with Apple on iPhone, Google on Android, or email on a computer.

No. A phone number is not how you create an account. On iPhone, sign in with Apple. On Android, sign in with Google. Email works on every device, including Windows and Linux in the browser. You can add a phone number later so friends who already have your number can find you.

On iPhone, get PIING from the App Store and sign in with Apple. On Android, sign in with Google. Email works in the browser on every device, including Windows and Linux. Confirm you are 16 or older, and agree to the Terms.

Search for their username, scan their PIING QR code (Profile → My QR Code), or send them your link: piingapp.co.uk/u/yourusername. Opening that link sends you a friend request and opens a chat with you; if they don't have PIING yet it takes them to the App Store. You can also turn on contact discovery to find people from your address book.

Yes. Open a one-to-one chat and tap the phone or video icon at the top. If the app is in the background you get a call notification.

Text, photos, videos, voice messages, stickers, polls and your live location. You can reply to, react to and star messages, and set messages to disappear.

Open a chat, tap the name at the top, then Disappearing Messages, and choose how long messages last. New messages in that chat disappear after that time.

Games and tools built into PIING: open Settings, then Mini Apps. Morse Code works with no signal (translate, tap it out, or play it as sound, haptics or a flashing screen), plus Trivia, Tic-Tac-Toe, Would You Rather, Truth or Dare, This or That, Word Scramble, Rock Paper Scissors, Duck Shoot, Magic 8-Ball, a texting personality quiz, Mood Check-In, Dice, Coin Flip, a countdown timer and Radio.

Yes, in Settings → Profile. After a change you have to wait 30 days before changing it again, so choose carefully.

An optional monthly or yearly subscription in Settings → PIING Pro. Everything else stays free. Pro adds bigger files (up to 200 MB) and videos (up to 500 MB) in one-to-one chats, an unlimited Vault, the Pro Lens pack and a Pro badge. It renews automatically until you cancel in Settings → Apple Account → Subscriptions.

In the app: Settings → Events → New Event. PIING makes a group chat, a QR code and a printable poster. People scan it to join, and while the event is on its no-signal chat runs over Nearby, sealed so only people in the event can read it. See piingapp.co.uk/events.

Yes, in one-to-one chats with Nearby on: if a photo can't upload, PIING sends a small copy over Bluetooth. The full-size photo needs a connection.

The first 50,000 people to join PIING are Founders automatically, numbered in the order they joined. You get a Founder #N badge on your profile and the gold Lenses. Inviting friends is never rewarded.

It's off by default. When you turn on sharing, your latest location is shown only to the friends you choose, and each update expires after 4 hours. Ghost Mode hides you from everyone instantly while keeping your settings. Tap the map icon on the Chats screen to open it; touch and hold it to pause sharing.

A Circle is one of your group chats used for location: check in, see who in it is sharing, and send an SOS to everyone in it. Our servers keep who is in a Circle, not its name.

A Friends Map update expires after 4 hours, and is deleted at once when you stop sharing. Trips are kept for 90 days at most and are cleared when you stop sharing. Visit history stays on your iPhone for 30 days. An SOS location is deleted when the SOS ends, and always within 24 hours.

No. It starts off, and PIING's servers refuse map updates from those accounts until the person turns sharing on themselves. SOS stays available.

Nearby lets PIING phones find each other over Bluetooth. You can message a contact or a group chat while you have no signal: the message can hop through up to 5 other PIING phones to reach them, and is still queued to send normally once you're back online. Turn it on in Settings → Nearby.

One-to-one chats in the PIING app (text, photos, videos, voice messages and files) are end-to-end encrypted when both people use a current version, with post-quantum protection and a fresh key for every message. Only the other person's phone can open them. Look for the lock, and compare the safety code on the chat's Encryption screen. Group chats and Stories are end-to-end encrypted when everyone who can see them has a current version. Web chat, and anything sent to or from an older version, is encrypted on the way. Passwords are stored only in a form that cannot be turned back into the password. See Security for details.

No. There are no ads and no ad trackers, and we never sell or rent your personal data.

No. You choose to turn it on. Numbers and emails are turned into codes on your phone, and only those codes are sent, to find people already on PIING. See the Privacy Policy.

Open the chat, tap their name at the top, and choose Block or Report. Reports go to the PIING team for review.

You must be 16 or older to use PIING. A public or community live is for 18 and over. See the Terms of Service.

On the sign-in screen tap "Forgot password?" and enter your email; we'll send you a reset link. If you can't reach that email, contact support@piingapp.co.uk.

On your iPhone open Settings → Notifications → PIING and make sure Allow Notifications is on with Lock Screen, Banners and Sounds enabled. Also check that a Focus (such as Do Not Disturb or Sleep) isn't silencing PIING. Then open PIING once so it can register your device again.

In the app go to Settings → Delete Account. Your account is removed permanently after 30 days; signing back in during that time cancels the deletion.

Email support@piingapp.co.uk or use the form on the Support page.

The Orange Tick shows an account PIING has verified as the real person or business it says it is. It is given by the PIING team; it cannot be bought or requested in the app.

Open the chat, tap the name, then Encryption. Compare the 60 digits with the other person, or scan their code in person. If they match, tap Mark as verified.

Yes, and it is on by default: Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen security. App Lock (Face ID) also hides PIING and locks it.

Settings > Privacy & Security > App Lock. You can also lock single chats: tap the name in a chat, then Lock chat.

Settings > Privacy & Security: Read receipts, Last seen and Online are all there. Ghost mode hides you more completely.

Select text while typing and tap Format: Bold, Italic, Strikethrough, Monospace or Spoiler. Or type *bold*, _italic_, ~strike~ or ||spoiler||. A spoiler stays hidden until the other person taps it.

Touch and hold your message, then Edit or Delete. Delete for everyone removes it from both phones.

Touch and hold the message, tap Remind me and pick In 1 hour, Tonight, Tomorrow morning or This weekend. A notification brings you back to the chat.

In a chat tap +, then Poll. Turn on Quiz to set a right answer (tap the circle next to it) and an optional explanation people see after answering.

Admins open the group, tap the name, then Group settings: approve new members, only admins can send, who can mention everyone and Slow mode (members can send one message per period).

Channels are one-to-many updates: the owner posts and followers read and react. Find them in the Updates tab. Channels are public, so they are not end-to-end encrypted.

Yes. During a one-to-one call tap Games: noughts and crosses opens for both of you. Tap the AR button to play on a real table.

Make sure PIING notifications are allowed (iPhone Settings > PIING > Notifications) and Focus is not silencing them. Install PIING from the App Store or TestFlight, not a developer build. Then restart PIING once.

Calls adapt to your connection. Try Wi-Fi, turn off Low Data Mode, and keep PIING open on screen. If it keeps happening, use Talk to a person below and we will look at the call diagnostics.

Settings > Privacy & Security > Calls > Protect IP Address in Calls: calls go through a relay (Cloudflare), so the other person doesn’t see your IP address address.

Settings > Nearby > Nearby turns on > Always. Your phone then passes on encrypted messages for people near you who have no signal. It cannot read them.

Settings > Nearby > Send SOS. Every PIING phone in Bluetooth range (and the ones they pass it to) is alerted with your name, an optional message and your location, even with no internet. In a real emergency call 999 or 112 first if you can.

PIING checks links on your phone for scam tricks: look-alike company names, fake characters, short links that hide where they go and unsafe sites. Only open it if you trust the sender, and never enter passwords or codes from a message link.

Settings > Privacy & Security > Filter objectionable content (on by default). Offensive words from other people are masked on your phone.

Settings > Privacy & Security > Vault: private photos, videos, files, notes and crypto recovery phrases, encrypted on your iPhone with a key in the Secure Enclave and opened with Face ID. They never leave your phone, so delete nothing you cannot replace, and keep your own backup of recovery phrases.

Turn on iCloud backup (Settings > Chat Backup) before you switch, then sign in on the new iPhone and restore. Your messages are encrypted before they reach iCloud.

Yes. On a Mac, use the Mac App Store or download PIING from piingapp.co.uk/download. On Windows, download PIING from the same page. On Android, or on Linux, open piingapp.co.uk in the browser. Sign in with Apple on iPhone, Google on Android, or email on a computer.

Yes. The Watch app installs with PIING. In the car, PIING appears on CarPlay with your chats, calls and favourites; Siri reads messages if you turn on Settings > Privacy & Security > Siri can read my messages.

Yes: Settings > Business Profile to set up your business, and Settings > Business Tools for the catalogue, quick replies, away messages, labels and plans.

Check you are online. Messages that could not send show a red mark: tap it to retry. In a group with Slow mode, PIING tells you when you can send again. With no signal, Nearby can carry it over Bluetooth.

Your phone does not have the key for that message yet, usually after a reinstall or a new phone. Ask the other person to send it again; new messages will open normally.

Settings > Storage and Data shows what PIING keeps on your iPhone and lets you choose what downloads automatically. Delete large media from inside a chat, or a whole chat from the chat list.