Messaging
Private by design, not by promise.
Conversations on Surf are encrypted from the start, calls never touch our servers, and group chats keep up with you. Real privacy, built into the protocol.
Encrypted end to end.
Direct messages are sealed with the same cryptography that secures Signal: an X3DH key exchange and a double ratchet that gives forward secrecy, so past messages stay protected even if a key is ever exposed. You can verify any contact with a safety number.
How encryption worksCalls stay between devices.
Voice and video connect peer to peer. The audio is never routed through our servers, so there is nothing for us, or anyone else, to listen in on.
Our security modelPriya Nair
Connected
Peer-to-peer. Audio never touches our servers.
Walk away. Catch up in seconds.
Group conversations are encrypted too, and when you fall behind, a quick summary tells you what actually happened. Smart polls settle the group's next decision without the back and forth.
See Surf IntelligenceCatch up on 42 messages
You decide who reaches you.
Block anyone from their profile and they quietly disappear: no message, no notification, nothing. On Sapphire Pro you can restrict replies to your subscribers, so your space stays yours.
Compare plansWhat's protected.
Not a privacy mode you have to find and enable. This is how messaging works on Surf, for everyone, all the time.
Encrypted by default
There is no switch to flip. Every direct message is end-to-end encrypted from the very first hello.
Forward secrecy
A double ratchet rotates keys constantly, so a key exposed today can never unlock the messages you sent yesterday.
Safety numbers
Verify any contact with a unique safety number to be certain you are talking to who you think you are.
Peer-to-peer calls
Voice and video flow directly between devices. The media never passes through Surf's infrastructure.
Encrypted group chats
Group conversations get the same protection as one-on-one threads, with no weaker fallback.
Silent blocking
Block is invisible to the other person. They can't message you, find you, or tell that anything changed.
Under the hood
How a message stays sealed.
Key exchange
When two people first connect, an X3DH handshake establishes a shared secret without ever sending a private key over the wire.
Double ratchet
Every message advances the ratchet, deriving a fresh key. Keys are thrown away as they're used, so the conversation can't be unwound.
Verification
Compare safety numbers in person or over another channel to confirm there's no one in the middle. Surf can't see, and can't pretend to be you.
We built on proven, audited cryptography instead of inventing our own. The point isn't that you trust us. The point is that you don't have to.