Temporary encrypted chat without an account

Bring a small group together

A room can hold up to 16 participants. It suits a quick project discussion, a temporary coordination space, or a conversation that does not need a permanent channel. Held generates the room name and shares it inside the encrypted room information.

1. Choose Group chat and create a room.
2. Share the complete secret link with your intended participants.
3. Send a message, attach files, or record a voice note once you are in the room.

How peer-to-peer chat works

Held uses WebRTC for peer-to-peer chat: participating browsers exchange end-to-end encrypted content, while a coordination server helps them connect. There is no server chat archive. An optional connection relay can carry the same encrypted traffic when a direct connection fails; it cannot read the chat content.

An encrypted chat still needs connected browsers and access to the coordination service. It does not become an offline chat when you disconnect.

Is this anonymous chat?

You can chat without registering an account or providing a name or email. That does not make Held an anonymous chat service: other participants may learn your network address, and hosting and connection providers can observe addresses and timing. Encryption protects message content, not every detail about who is connecting.

Automatic signing identities differ by room. Reusing a saved identity lets peers recognize you across rooms, and optional contact details or the things you share can identify you. Held connects people you invite through a secret link; it does not match you with random strangers.

See who is connected

The participant controls show your own ID, verified peer IDs, and connection status. Open the full list and switch between short and full fingerprints when comparing identities. A connection still being authenticated does not receive a verified identity label. If a connected peer has added a verified contact email to their saved identity, their details also show that address. A saved website and short bio appear separately as self-provided details. Contact emails are separate from chat posts and history, and disappear from the participant details when the connection ends.

In automatic mode your signing identity is separate for each room. Choosing a saved identity makes the same public key recognizable in future rooms. A fingerprint proves control of a key; it does not establish someone’s name, unique personhood, or trustworthiness.

History comes from connected peers

New arrivals receive the signed history currently available from connected participants. Each browser retains up to 200 messages, also limited to 512 KiB of message text. A single post can contain up to 4 KiB of UTF-8 text. Older records can disappear as these limits are reached, and different browsers may hold different subsets.

Received by counts show that authenticated browsers acknowledged a signed post. They are not read receipts and do not confirm that someone downloaded its files. A zero count can also occur when an older client does not support acknowledgements. There is no server archive or offline inbox.

The last participant keeps the room alive

Anyone can write, and there is no owner administration or End button for a group. The room ends when its final admitted participant leaves or expires. Until then, someone with the full secret link can request to join again.

Direct browser connections depend on both the network and browser. Restrictive firewalls or VPNs can prevent them. Keep a participant connected if you need the room to remain available, and keep file sources present until recipients have the necessary pieces.

Participants can retain text, screenshots, and downloads. Leaving changes the live session; it cannot remotely erase another person’s copy or guarantee anonymity.