What exactly does "end-to-end" mean?
End-to-end encryption explained simply
With regular encryption (like email) messages are often encrypted between your device and the server, but the server can read them to forward them. The provider can in principle peek inside.
With end-to-end encryption the message is encrypted on your phone with a key that only you and the recipient have. The server is just a relay that can't decipher the gibberish — think of it as a sealed envelope locked with a key only you and the recipient hold.
In WandelWeb chat:
- On first use, your phone generates a unique key pair: a public key (shared with other users) and a private key (stays on your device)
- When you send someone a message, your phone encrypts it with the recipient's public key
- Only the recipient's phone — which has the matching private key — can decrypt the message
- The server only stores encrypted data
What this means for you:
- Your conversations are protected from being read by WandelWeb
- Protected from attackers who might gain access to the server
- Protected from network admins, ISPs, or public WiFi
