Support

You don't need to create an account in the traditional sense. When you first open Gossamer, a secure, anonymous identity is automatically generated on your device. This "ghost account" is tied to your device only—no email, phone number, or password required. Your identity is protected by cryptographic keys stored securely on your phone, ensuring that only you can access your conversations.

To connect with someone, one person generates a QR code by tapping the QR icon in the app. The other person scans this code using their Gossamer app. After scanning, the scanner sees the code creator's display name and can choose to send a connection request. The creator then receives a notification and can approve or decline. Only when both people consent does a conversation begin.

When someone scans your QR code, they'll see your display name (if you've set one under 'Settings' (gear icon on the maing page)) and have the option to request a connection. You'll receive a notification about their request. You can then view their display name, and a Connect Note (if you have set one) and choose to approve or decline. If you approve, a new conversation thread is created. If you decline, the request is dismissed and they won't be notified of your decision.

No, absolutely not. Gossamer is designed from the ground up to protect your personal information. The other person can only see the display name you choose to share and nothing else. Your phone number, email address, location, and any other personal details are NEVER collected, stored, or transmitted. This is the core promise of Gossamer: connect without compromising your privacy. Even to us.

Gossamer stores only what's necessary to enable messaging: your device-generated cryptographic keys, (The public part of a public/private key pair) your conversations, and your app settings. We never collect your name, email, phone number, location, contacts, or any other personally identifiable information. Your cryptographic identity exists ONLY on your device. We don't have access to your private keys. See our Privacy Policy for complete details.

No. There is no user directory, no search function, and no way to discover other users on Gossamer. The only way to connect with someone is through a QR code that you choose to share with them. This intentional design ensures that you have complete control over who can contact you. No strangers can find you, message you, or even know you exist on the platform.

To end a conversation, open the thread and tap the menu icon, then select "End Conversation." You'll be asked to confirm your choice. Once ended, the conversation is permanently closed and cannot be reopened. The other person will see that the conversation has ended but won't receive any notification about why you ended it. Both parties lose access to the conversation history. You can also long-press on a conversation from the main menu to access this as well

When either person ends a conversation, the thread is permanently closed for both parties. Neither person can send new messages or reopen the conversation. The message history becomes inaccessible. If you want to reconnect with the same person in the future, you'll need to exchange QR codes again and start fresh. This ensures that both parties always have equal power to walk away.

Gossamer doesn't have traditional blocking because it's not needed. Instead, you simply end the conversation. Unlike other platforms where blocking still leaves traces of the relationship, ending a Gossamer conversation completely severs the connection. The other person cannot contact you again unless you choose to share a new QR code. You're always in control.

Yes. All messages are encrypted in transit using industry-standard TLS encryption. Additionally, every request your app makes to our servers is cryptographically signed using your device's private key, ensuring that no one can impersonate you. Your messages are stored securely on our servers and are only accessible to the participants in the conversation. Technical details available on request.

QR codes expire after 24 hours by default. This expiration is a privacy feature—it ensures that old codes can't be used to connect with you unexpectedly. If you need codes that last longer, you can set extended expiration options. Once a code expires or is used, it becomes invalid and cannot be reused. Codes are ONE USE.

Simply generate a new QR code. There's no limit to how many codes you can create. Each new code is unique and independent of previous ones. If someone tries to scan an expired code, they'll see a message indicating the code is no longer valid. You can share your new code with them to try again.

Yes. The Print Codes feature lets you generate multiple unique QR codes simultaneously—useful for events, networking, or any situation where you want to connect with several people efficiently. Each code works independently, so you can track which connections came from which code.

Go to Settings in the app to manage your notification preferences. You can enable or disable push notifications globally. Additionally, you can customize notification settings for individual conversations. Useful if you want to mute a particularly active thread while staying notified about others.

First, check that notifications are enabled in the Gossamer app settings. Then verify that your device's system settings allow Gossamer to send notifications (Settings → Gossamer → Notifications on iOS, or Settings → Apps → Gossamer → Notifications on Android). If notifications are enabled everywhere but still not working, try force-closing and reopening the app. If problems persist, contact us at help@gossamer.chat.

Open the app, go to Settings, and select "Delete Account." You'll be asked to confirm this action. Once confirmed, your account and all associated data—including your conversations, connection history, and cryptographic keys—are permanently deleted from our servers. This action cannot be undone.

When you delete your account, your active presence is removed from Gossamer. Your ghost account identity is deactivated, all conversations you participated in are ended, any pending connection requests are canceled, and your notification settings are cleared. Other participants will see that the conversation threads have ended.

For abuse prevention, safety, and legal compliance purposes, message content may be securely archived for up to 180 days, and associated metadata may be retained for up to 365 days, after which it is automatically deleted. Archived data is not accessible to users and is not used for advertising or personalization.

Your cryptographic keys are removed from your device as part of the deletion process, and archived message content cannot be decrypted or resumed for normal use.

No. Account deletion is permanent and irreversible. Because Gossamer doesn't collect any personal information like email or phone number, there's no way to verify your identity to recover an account. If you delete your account and later reinstall Gossamer, you'll start fresh with a completely new ghost account and no connection to your previous identity.

Try these steps in order: First, force-close the app completely and reopen it. If that doesn't help, restart your device. If problems continue, try uninstalling and reinstalling Gossamer (note: this will delete your account and conversations). Make sure you're running the latest version from the App Store or Google Play. If you're still experiencing issues, email us at help@gossamer.chat with a description of the problem and your device type.

Your Gossamer account is tied to your specific device. If you lose your phone, whoever finds it cannot access your Gossamer conversations without unlocking your device first. If you get a new phone and install Gossamer, you'll start with a fresh ghost account. Your old account on the lost device becomes inaccessible without the old device.