Philosophy
Why Relay Exists
Most messengers now claim to offer encryption. Look closer and the picture is less reassuring. Encryption is often opt-in, off by default, or unavailable in group chats. Even when messages are encrypted, the apps themselves harvest metadata at scale — who you talk to, when, how often, from where, on what device. The message content may be private, but the pattern of your life is not.
And none of them have a wallet.
Relay is built differently. Every message is encrypted by default using the Signal Protocol — no toggles, no settings, no exceptions. The server holds the bare minimum needed to deliver those messages, then deletes them. There is no metadata collection because there is no business model that depends on it.
On top of that, Relay includes a self-custodial Solana wallet. You can discuss, send, and trade SPL tokens without ever leaving the conversation. Private payments are facilitated by Privacy Cash. Your private keys never leave your device.
This is not a feature list. It is the architecture.
Design Principles
1. User Sovereignty
Your identity is a 12-word seed phrase. It lives on your device, protected by hardware-backed encryption and biometrics. It is never sent to any server.
From that seed, two independent keypairs are derived — one for your wallet, one for authentication. The wallet keypair controls your funds on Solana. The auth keypair proves your identity to the server. They share a common root but are cryptographically independent.
If you lose your seed phrase, your account is gone. Nobody can recover it for you — not Relay, not a support team, not a court order. If you have your seed phrase, nobody can take your account from you.
In plain English: You own your account the same way you own a house key. There is no landlord with a master copy. Lose the key and you are locked out. But as long as you have it, nobody else can get in.
2. Privacy by Default — Actually by Default
Every message is end-to-end encrypted using the Signal Protocol before it ever leaves your device. There is no "start encrypted chat" button. There is no unencrypted mode. Every message, every conversation, every group — encrypted, always.
The server receives ciphertext it cannot decrypt, holds it until delivered, and then automatically deletes it. It does not log who you talk to, how often, or when. The metadata that other platforms monetize does not exist here.
The wallet follows the same principle. Wallet addresses are never shown to other users — you send money by typing a username. For transfers that need even stronger on-chain privacy, Relay integrates with Privacy Cash, a third-party protocol that uses zero-knowledge proofs to break the link between sender and recipient on the blockchain.
In plain English: Other apps say they offer encryption, but often it is optional or only covers the message content while the app quietly tracks everything around it. Relay encrypts everything by default and collects as little data as possible. You can message, send crypto, and trade tokens all in one place — without your private keys or your metadata ever leaving your device.
3. Minimal Trust
The server's role is deliberately limited to three things:
- Storing your username and auth public key — so it can verify your identity and route messages.
- Holding Signal pre-key bundles (public keys only) — so new contacts can start an encrypted conversation with you.
- Queuing encrypted ciphertext for delivery — then automatically purging it once the recipient's device confirms receipt.
The server does not store message history, wallet addresses, private keys, seed phrases, PINs, or any plaintext. It holds the minimum needed to function as a relay and nothing more.
In plain English: The server knows your username and that is about it. It cannot read your messages, see your wallet, or access your keys. It holds encrypted messages just long enough to deliver them, then deletes them automatically.
4. Single Seed, Multiple Identities
One 12-word mnemonic. Two derivation paths. Two completely independent keypairs.
This matters because it means:
- One backup recovers everything — wallet and identity.
- Separation of concerns — compromising the auth key does not compromise the wallet.
- Deterministic — the same seed always produces the same keys. No ambiguity, no sync issues.
The derivation uses SLIP-0010 (Ed25519 HD key derivation) with BIP-44 style paths on the Solana coin type. The wallet path is m/44'/501'/0'/0'. The auth path is m/44'/501'/1'/0'. Different account indices, completely independent outputs.
In plain English: You write down 12 words once. Those 12 words can regenerate both your wallet and your login credentials on any new device. But the wallet key and the login key are mathematically separate — knowing one does not help you figure out the other.
Open Source Commitment
The Relay protocol and client will be made entirely open source ahead of mainnet release. We believe that trust in a privacy tool must be verifiable. Open-sourcing the codebase allows independent security researchers, cryptographers, and the broader community to audit every line of code that protects your messages and keys.