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I have got a new phone – How do I transfer my data?

If you have already set up your new iOS device using Quick Start or via an iTunes/Finder backup, follow these instructions to use Threema on your new device:

  1. Open the Threema app on your old device, select the “Profile” tab in the main screen, and tap on “Threema Safe”
  2. Enable “Threema Safe,” and set a secure password (without this password, you will not be able to restore your Threema Safe backup)
  3. When starting Threema for the first time on the new phone, tap “Restore ID from Backup,” select “Keep Local Data,” and follow the on-screen instructions
  4. Make sure your data was transferred correctly. If that’s the case, remove your ID from your old phone to make sure you receive notifications on the new device: on your old phone, open the “Profile” tab, and select “Remove ID and Data”
  5. If you’re using the beta version of Threema 2.0 for desktop, reset the desktop app, and relink it with the mobile device

If your new device is already set up, but you don’t have a Threema Safe backup and no longer have access to your old device, your Threema ID can’t be restored, unfortunately. In this case, you’ll have to create a new ID.

If you have already set up the Threema app on your new device but the app doesn’t contain your data (ID, chats, and messages), please proceed as follows: First, check whether your old phone still contains all your apps and data. If this is the case, please reset the new device before setting it up again by following the steps listed in this FAQ article.

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If you have accidentally answered “No” when asked whether you want to allow Threema to access your photos, you can grant permission as here:

  • iOS Settings > Privacy & Security > Photos > Threema

If Threema is not listed in the location mentioned above, please remove restrictions for Threema:

  • iOS 12: iOS Settings > Screen Time > Restrictions > Photos > Allow Changes
  • iOS 11 and earlier: iOS Settings > General > Restrictions > Photos > Allow Changes
In some cases (e.g., when the memory usage is high or the battery level low), incoming push notifications can’t be decrypted in the background. In these rare cases, a generic notification (“Message” or “Group Message”) will be displayed.

There are two ways to share files using Threema on iOS.

Select the files in Threema: In a conversation, tap the plus sign (“+”) next to the input box, and select “Share File”. Then, choose the app that hosts the file you would like to share (e.g. Contacts), select the file, and confirm by tapping “OK”.

Select the files in another app: In the app of your choice, select the file you would like to share, tap the Share Button, choose Threema (depending on the app, you might need to tap “Open in…” or “More” first), select the contact you would like to send the file to, and confirm by tapping “Send”.

The latest version of Threema runs on iOS 15 and up. You can continue to use older Threema versions on your pre-iOS 15 device, but you won’t be able to update to newer versions.

Older Threema versions don’t support all the features newer versions provide, and it’s advisable to install the lastest Threema version whenever possible.

Here are the last supported Threema versions for each iOS version:

  • iOS 9: Threema 4.2.3
  • iOS 10: Threema 4.6.18
  • iOS 15: Threema 5.0

The effort needed to offer compatibility with older iOS versions is substantial. For this reason, we need to drop support for older iOS versions from time to time when we release larger updates.

Adjust the notification settings of a single or group chat in the iOS app as follows:

  • Open the desired chat, and tap the title bar. Then, tap the bell symbol in the detail view of the contact or group to open the notification settings.
  • Activate “Do Not Disturb” to disable notifications (for a certain duration). In group chats, the option “Notify When Mentioned” is available. If activated, you will only receive notifications for messages in which you are mentioned.
  • To mute notifications, deactivate “Play Notification Sound” in the detail view under “Notifications.” You will still receive notifications, but no notification sound is played.

This message is related to the Family Sharing feature of iOS; Threema does not have any influence on it. However, problems with Family Sharing can usually be solved by offloading and reinstalling the affected app. (Creating a device backup first is recommended, see this FAQ entry.)

Go to iOS Settings > General > iPhone Storage > Threema and choose “Offload App”. When this has completed, start Threema again. The system should automatically reinstall Threema without losing any data.

In and of itself, Threema does not provide an option to save chats on iCloud. If, however, you have chosen to save device backups on iCloud, all app data, including Threema chats, will be stored on iCloud.

Neither is there a way for third-party apps like Threema to control this behavior, nor can such apps detect whether iCloud device backups are enabled or not. Even though apps can exclude individual files from backups, these files are excluded from all backups, also from encrypted iTunes backups. Therefore, we recommend to either create iTunes backups instead of iCloud backups or to exclude Threema if you must create iCloud backups.

If you still want to include Threema in the device backup on iCloud, it’s recommended to turn on Advanced Data Protection for iCloud.

Threema Work admins can use the setting th_disable_system_backups in their MDM system or in the management cockpit’s app configuration to prevent iCloud and iTunes from including Threema Work data in backups. As mentioned above, it is, however, not possible to only allow iTunes backups.

To learn more about security aspects of iCloud backups, please refer to this Apple article.

Thank you for your interest in testing the beta version of Threema. In order to participate in the beta program, it’s required that you have purchased the regular app version in the App Store.

Be sure to create a backup before installing the beta version!

To participate in the iOS beta program via TestFlight, please click here and follow the instructions.

To provide feedback, please contact us directly via Threema (“Settings > Beta Feedback”). TestFlight feedback has been deactivated, as we cannot contact testers there if we have questions about their feedback.

If you want to leave the beta program and use the regular Threema version again, please contact our support via “Settings > Beta Feedback” in the Threema app or at help at threema dot ch.

Yes, starting with version Threema 5.1 for iOS, you can choose which information should be included in push notifications for incoming Threema messages. Depending on the option you choose, some information is shared with the operating system (OS).

The following options are available in the Threema app (in “Settings > Notifications”):

Independently of these push-notification settings, you can define whether you want to give the OS access to information about interactions or not, see this FAQ entry.

As of version 5.1 for iOS, the option “Share Interactions” is available in “Threema > Settings > Privacy > iOS Integration.” If activated, the operating system has access to information about interactions, i.e., iOS will learn which Threema ID you often exchange messages with. If available, an iOS-specific contact ID will also be shared. (Threema receives this contact ID from iOS when the Threema contact is linked to an iOS contact.)

The OS uses this information to suggest Threema contacts you regularly chat with in Siri suggestions, in Search, and when sharing content in other apps. If the option is activated, it is also possible to choose individual Threema contacts in Focus filters, or to set Threema as preferred messaging channel in the Contacts app (long tap on “message” below a contact’s name, and select Threema). However, granting access to this information will generate metadata. According to Apple, this metadata will only be managed on the user’s device and not synced with other devices.

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Show all FAQs