Introducing Encrypted Contacts for Android and iOS, now available through ProtonMail’s mobile app

Posted on by Proton Team

We launched encrypted contacts last year to meet the needs of journalists that needed a safer way to store sensitive information about their contacts. Our encrypted contacts manager uses zero-access encryption and digital signatures to keep your contacts data private and verify the integrity of the data.

Now, encrypted contacts is also available on our mobile apps, so you can stay protected even on the go!

In the older versions of the ProtonMail mobile app, the contacts menu only included the contact’s name and email address (these, by necessity, are not encrypted to allow us to get your emails to their destination). If you tapped on a contact, it would simply open the email composer.

With the latest update, we have incorporated a fully functional contacts manager into the ProtonMail mobile app. You can now add additional information such as phone numbers, addresses, URLs, and notes. All of this additional information is encrypted and no one but you can access it — not even we can access it. That’s the benefit of zero-access encryption.

And just like the web version of ProtonMail Contacts, all contacts are digitally signed, meaning you’ll get a warning message if it seems an attacker may have tried to tampered with your contacts.

We’re excited to deliver the most secure mobile contacts manager, and we welcome your feedback. If you have any questions or comments for the team, don’t hesitate to get in touch.

Download ProtonMail iOS app || Download ProtonMail Android app

Best Regards,
The ProtonMail Team

You can get a free secure email account from ProtonMail.

We also provide a free VPN service to protect your privacy.

ProtonMail and ProtonVPN are funded by community contributions. If you would like to support our development efforts, you can upgrade to a paid plan or donate. Thank you for your support!

Release notes for iOS v1.8

New features:

  • Encrypted contacts
  • Contacts redesign

Bug fixes:

  • The warning message for a possibly spoofed email is cut off in the app
  • Save popup appearing behind keyboard when composing
  • No recipient found when sending a message via “Share” feature.
  • Auto-complete suggestion not showing properly
  • Message doesn’t open from push notification on certain occasions
  • Spam/Trash delete message issue
  • Subject reverts to (No Subject) when sending emails with image from Camera Roll attached
  • “Can’t load content” when sharing an app from the Apple Store
  • iPhone X: Sidebar bottom line separator goes over the content when scrolling
  • Adding an image attachment uses the wrong format on iOS 11
  • Badge number doesn’t update if you close the app from a message
  • Changed TouchID dialog address to a*****@protonmail.com format
  • Display name overlaps with carrier name when you open the menu on iOS 10
  • Message signing issue
  • Toast message does not show up sometimes

Improvements:

  • Always show the full from address on message details
  • Add missing translations
  • Disabled spellcheck in search
  • Update email expiration icons
  • Improve the error messages
  • Improve the local cache stability

Release notes for Android v1.8

New features:

  • Encrypted contacts
  • Contacts redesign

Bug fixes:

  • PIN screen not always working with correct PIN
  • Fix for HTML messages rendering
  • Draft message showing as “Null” on some occasions

Improvements:

  • Improvements for Notifications Snooze
  • Translation improvements
  • Additional bug fixes and improvements
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About the Author

Proton Team

Proton was founded by scientists who met at CERN and had the idea that an internet where privacy is the default is essential to preserving freedom. Our team of developers, engineers, and designers from all over the world is working to provide you with secure ways to be in control of your online data.

 

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24 comments on “Introducing Encrypted Contacts for Android and iOS, now available through ProtonMail’s mobile app”

  • L,

    Thanks for the continued mobile support. Are you still doing major desktop releases? It’s been 4.5 months since the release of 4.12. Bi-yearly major releases?

  • ApossibleCustomer,

    Please add contacts sync with phone – without, we have to keep mail in one place and contacts/calendar in another place. It has been a long time and nothing on this day-to-day usability and basic feature :(

    • Mar,

      Same wish here. I would like to move all my contacts from Google to ProtonMail and still be able to use them in others services and not just ProtonMail.

    • Securecobweb,

      As of right now you can export your yahoo/gmail contacts in either csv or vcard and import using the web client. They will show up on the mobile app.
      I was also trying to figure out out to sync all my contacts and found that solution

  • Anonymous,

    Sorry to be a jerk, but no matter what features you add, I’m never going to purchase your service without the ability to import (from Gmail, Hotmail, etc.) and export my data. This is fundamental. It was promised years ago but has never been delivered. It’s one of your top requested features and it’s still not possible. Please, I’m begging you, implement data import/export. Also, maybe publish a roadmap somewhere so we can see what you are working on.

    • theoldfellow,

      I was a paid supported, but I have canceled my subscription now, because Protonmail is prioritizing the wrong things. Like no Linux on the imap. There is no point to end-to-end encryption if you run the encryption on a compromised, US Misgovernment back-doored, operating system.
      P.S. ‘we are working on it’ doesn’t mean anything without a release date.

  • Anonymous,

    Will there be a way in the future to sync contacts with the andriod contacts. I like this feature but without it I cannot use protonmails contacts since it will not tell me who is calling, who has send me a text on my phone.

  • Christo,

    It’s an important subject that many more should be considering for their daily lives. It’s unfortunate that citizens even must consider such privacy measures to maintain a basic international human right.

  • Kapildev,

    I am sure that the digital signature and the zero access encryption method will surely help the data more secured. Thanks for sharing the info.

    Kapil

    • Richie Koch,

      We agree. It’s one of the easiest ways to help keep your data secure even if you lose your device.

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