Frequently Asked Questions

We're targeting a Q2 2026 release on both iOS and Android simultaneously. The app is currently in active development.

YAP will be available globally from day one — no geo-blocking. Marketing and localization will roll out in phases, starting with North America and Europe, but anyone can download and use it from launch.

YAP is a privacy-focused messaging app where you control how everything looks. Every conversation can have its own theme, colors, animations, and style. Your messages are end-to-end encrypted and stored locally on your device — not on our servers.

One person who vibe coded the whole thing with his AI buddy. There is no team of developers, no customer support department, and no venture capital behind YAP. Just someone who wanted a messaging app that didn't look or store data like most other messaging apps out there.

Yes. The core messaging experience is completely free with no ads and no subscriptions. AI-powered features are optional — theme generation costs $0.25 and meme generation costs $0.10 per use, charged as consumable in-app purchases.

Choose a unique @handle and a password (minimum 8 characters). That's it. No phone number, no email address, no social media sign-in required. You can optionally add a recovery email in case you forget your password.

Yes. All messages are end-to-end encrypted using the Signal Protocol — the same encryption used by Signal and WhatsApp. Only you and the person you're messaging can read them. Our server cannot decrypt your messages.

No. Messages are stored locally on your device. Our server temporarily holds encrypted messages in transit until the recipient's device picks them up, then deletes them. Undelivered messages are automatically deleted after 30 days.

The minimum needed to function: your @handle (for identity), a hashed password (for authentication), and encrypted messages in transit. We do not collect your phone number, email, location, contacts list, or usage analytics. See our Privacy Policy for the full picture.

No. End-to-end encryption means we physically cannot read your messages, even if compelled to by law. We don't have the keys.

If you haven't set up cloud backup (to your own iCloud or Google Drive), your messages and data are gone permanently. This is the tradeoff of local-first design — your data was never on our servers to begin with. We strongly recommend enabling backups.

Tap the gear button in the header bar on the chat list. From there you can choose from preset themes, customize every aspect of the app's appearance, or use AI to generate a custom theme. Changes apply instantly.

Yes — this is the core feature. Every conversation can have its own colors, fonts, animations, background, and more, completely independent of the rest of the app. Your customizations are entirely private — the other person never sees them.

Describe the vibe you want in words (e.g., "cozy autumn cabin with warm firelight") and YAP's AI generates a complete theme — colors, fonts, patterns, animations, everything. Each generation costs $0.25 and is saved permanently to your collection.

If you added a recovery email during sign-up (or later in settings), use the "Forgot password?" option on the sign-in screen. If you didn't add a recovery email and forgot your password, there is no way to recover your account. We cannot reset passwords on your behalf.

No. Your @handle is permanent. This is a deliberate security decision — permanent handles prevent impersonation. Choose carefully during sign-up.

Profile > Account > Delete Account. This is permanent and irreversible. Local data is deleted from your device immediately. Server-side data is removed within 90 days.

Email contact@yap-messenger.com. For bugs, please include what happened, what you expected, and your device model and OS version.

YAP is built and maintained by one person. Response times vary. Critical bugs are prioritized. Your patience is appreciated.