VutalkSupport
If your question is not answered below, email support@vutalk.com and describe what you were doing and what happened. Please do not include passwords or recovery credentials.
Do I need a phone number?
No. Vutalk never asks for a phone number and never sends an SMS. If you are asked for one, you are not using Vutalk.
Is Vutalk anonymous?
Signing up takes no phone number and no email address, we never upload your address book, and we do no contact matching of any kind — so we hold nothing that points at who you are. Do not read that as full anonymity: your IP address passes through our servers when you connect, the account carries an internal identifier, and a username, once you set one, is public and searchable. What we cannot see is content — messages, calls, photos and files — and that is guaranteed by the cryptography, not by our promise.
The verification code never arrived.
Check the spam folder first — the message comes from a no-reply address at mail.vutalk.com. Corporate mail filters are the usual culprit; a personal address generally works. Wait for the timer to run out before requesting a new code, since each request invalidates the previous one.
How do people add me?
Set a username in Settings, then share the username, its link or its QR code. Nobody can find you any other way, and you can change or remove the username at any time.
How do I know a message is really from Vutalk?
Vutalk has exactly one official account. It appears in your chat list as “Vutalk” with the official badge, its username is vutalk with no digits, and it is the one chat you cannot type into — it only carries release notes and security notices. Vutalk never messages you first from any other account, never asks for your Recovery Key, a verification code or a payment, and never sends a link to “verify” or “unlock” your account. Anyone claiming to be Vutalk without the badge is an impostor: block and report them.
Why can't I search my contacts?
Because Vutalk never uploads your address book. There is no contact matching to enable — finding people works through usernames instead.
What is a safety number?
A code derived from both people's identity keys, unique to your conversation. Comparing it confirms nobody is sitting in the middle. If it changes unexpectedly, ask the other person why before continuing.
I lost my device.
On the new device, choose “I already have an account” and enter the Account ID and the recovery key; the old device is unlinked. If your account was created with an email in an early version, write to support@vutalk.com. Message history does not follow the account: we never hold a readable copy, so a new device starts with an empty history.
Can you recover my messages?
No. They are encrypted with keys we do not have. This is the cost of the guarantee, and there is no support path around it — keep your recovery credentials somewhere safe.
How do I delete my account?
In the app, under Settings. See the deletion page for exactly what is removed and what is retained.
Which devices can I use Vutalk on?
iPhone (iOS 18 or later) from the App Store, Android 6.0 or later, Windows 1.1.162, and macOS 1.1.162. Everything is on the download page, which picks the right package for the device you open it on.
How does the desktop app connect to my account?
It links to the Vutalk on your phone and mirrors its conversations; it has no account of its own. On Android, open Settings → Linked devices and scan the code the desktop app shows. On iPhone, open Settings → Linked Devices → Link New Device and scan the code the desktop app shows.
Windows says the installer is from an unknown publisher.
The Windows build is not yet code-signed, so SmartScreen shows a warning the first time. Choose More info, then Run anyway. Compare the file's SHA-256 with the one printed on the download page if you want to be sure of what you have.
Can I install the Android APK now and switch to Google Play later?
Yes, but not as an in-place update: Google Play installs carry Google's signature, not the one on the APK from this site, so back up your chats, uninstall the APK, then install from Google Play. Sign in again with the Account ID and the recovery key, or with the same email for an older account that has one.