← Back to all sparks
D

Delta Chat

COMMS
Velocity0.0

Decentralized, encrypted messenger that works over the email network.

Email-based messenger steadily adding calls, mini-apps, and multi-transport

secure-messagingemail-basedcallswebxdc-miniappschannelsmulti-transport
Current state
Delta Chat's desktop app is on a fast, feature-dense release cadence. Recent releases built out real-time calls (ringing tones, device selection, a 'who can call me' setting, TURN relays), WebXDC mini-apps (clickable links, faster and safer loading), channels with descriptions and view counts, and multi-transport support letting one account span several mail servers. The latest (v2.49.1) is a macOS crash hotfix.
Where it's heading
The product is pushing well beyond classic email chat toward a full messenger: calling, mini-apps, and broadcast channels are all maturing in parallel, while the v2.33 multi-transport work (a breaking backup-format change) re-architected accounts to span multiple transports. The throughline is closing the feature gap with mainstream messengers while keeping the email/chatmail foundation.
Prediction
Expect continued buildout of calls and WebXDC mini-apps, plus polish on the newer channels and multi-transport features. Frequent point releases with occasional hotfixes will likely persist.

Recent moves

  1. 1mo ago

    2.49.1: macOS crash hotfix

    A hotfix release to prevent crashes on macOS; no other changes. Routine stabilization on top of v2.49.0.

    View source ↗
  2. 1mo ago

    2.49.0: leave & delete group, delivery fixes

    Adds a leave-and-delete-group action plus core fixes — marking messages delivered only after full send, avoiding duplicate 1:1 chats on QR scans, and searching hidden contacts by email. Steady feature-plus-correctness work.

    View source ↗
  3. 1mo ago

    2.48.0: 'who can call me', WebXDC links, channel descriptions

    A feature-dense release — autostart, channel/group descriptions, clickable links in WebXDC mini-apps, a global voice-message player, a 'who can call me' control, and channel view counts. Broadens the messenger surface across calls, mini-apps, and channels at once.

    View source ↗
  4. 3mo ago

    2.43.0: calls polish and cross-profile forwarding

    Builds out calling (ringing tone for outgoing calls, audio/video device menu, smarter incoming-video defaults) and adds cross-profile message forwarding, per-message shortcuts, and a title-bar badge counter. Incremental but broad.

    View source ↗
  5. 5mo ago

    2.35.0: Protocol View dialog, TURN-backed calls

    Adds a Protocol View dialog with a storage-usage report and, via the core upgrade, multi-device transport sync and a TURN server to improve calls. Notably ends support for macOS 11 as Electron moves to v39.

    View source ↗
  6. 5mo ago

    2.33.0: multi-transport support

    ⚡ SPARK

    Introduces multi-transport — an account can use multiple mail transports, synchronized via sync messages — alongside withdraw/revive channel invitation codes. A structural change, confirmed by a breaking bump of the backup format from v3 to v4.

    View source ↗