{"id":19886,"date":"2023-07-31T09:03:55","date_gmt":"2023-07-31T09:03:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.brosix.com\/?p=19886"},"modified":"2023-07-31T09:03:55","modified_gmt":"2023-07-31T09:03:55","slug":"dust-app","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.brosix.com\/blog\/dust-app\/","title":{"rendered":"Cyber Dust App Review: Taking Secure Messaging Seriously"},"content":{"rendered":"

How safe are your private messages?<\/p>\n

Once you\u2019ve sent a message from your phone and it\u2019s no longer in your control, who has access to it and where is it stored?<\/p>\n

Different messaging apps answer this question in different ways. Some use end-to-end encryption to make sure no one\u2014even the app owners\u2014has access to your messages\u2019 content. Others have special features that allow you to send disappearing messages, create secret chats, and hide your identity.<\/p>\n

Some apps, like Telegram<\/a>, mix all these and allow for end-to-end encryption in some cases while also giving you a set of features to make your data more secure.<\/p>\n

Dust app (also known as Cyber Dust) takes a firm stance when it comes to security: everything <\/i>is secure at all times <\/i>and nothing <\/i>is stored anywhere<\/i>. As you might assume, this makes the messaging experience pretty secure but it sacrifices a lot of the app\u2019s usability.<\/p>\n

So, let’s make a Cyber Dust review and see how it works.<\/span><\/p>\n

What Is Cyber Dust: Overview and Pricing?<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"What
\nSelf-branded as \u201cthe world\u2019s most secure messenger\u201d, Dust is a free instant messaging app<\/a> that puts safety over everything else. Literally over everything else: you can\u2019t take screenshots, save images, or access previous conversations. All these things are sacrificed to make the messages\u2019 content more secure.<\/p>\n

The app is the brainchild of Mark Cuban, who himself had an unpleasant encounter with the SEC<\/a> during which he had to sit and listen while the messages he believed to be private were broadcast to everyone.<\/p>\n

Dust avoids this issue by deleting all messages, read and unread, from both devices.<\/p>\n

Installation and Setup<\/b><\/h2>\n

Downloading, installing, and signing up for Dust takes only a few moments. Surprisingly, the app requires your phone number to create a profile, which is something that can\u2019t be said for some other secure apps: Threema <\/a>and Telegram<\/a> first come to mind.<\/p>\n

Once you enter your number, you\u2019ll get a 6-digit confirmation code\u2014pretty standard procedure.<\/p>\n

From there, Dust will allow you to connect to people from your contacts list that have the app installed. You can sync your contacts at the beginning or navigate to the Friends section later. However, this is one of the biggest issues with the Dust app: you\u2019ll hardly find any Cyber Dust users among your contacts.<\/p>\n

To bypass this issue, you can invite people to Dust via regular SMS. Navigate to Friends, click the \u201cInvite\u201d anchor text, and you\u2019ll be taken to the Contacts list on your phone. You can also click on the person icon in the top right corner, or navigate to Chats and tap \u201cInvite\u201d.<\/p>\n

Select the contact (or contacts) you want to invite to Dust and tap \u201cDone\u201d. This will open your SMS app and upload a pre-created text message inviting the contact to install Dust by clicking a link.<\/p>\n

Overall, Dust is fairly easy to set up and it\u2019s neat that the creators recognize how connecting with people might be the most significant obstacle when using the app. That\u2019s why you have an option to invite people to Dust on almost every screen, in almost every tab.<\/p>\n

[highlight_block title=”Looking for other apps to chat with friends? Take a look at this article:” link1=”https:\/\/www.brosix.com\/blog\/group-chatting\/” link2=”” link3=”” ]<\/p>\n

User Interface and Design<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"User
\nDust\u2019s user interface is dark and simple\u2014it feels very much like a closed, secret system.<\/p>\n

You can switch between a light and a dark mode and choose themes like Magenta, Azure, etc. Unfortunately, these themes only change details like button and icon color. So, for example, the Azure theme in dark mode will be 80% black with blue buttons and icons. Switching to a Magenta theme will only change the other 20% while the rest of the app will still be black.<\/p>\n

This does provide a certain vibe of anonymity and secrecy but we still feel like more could have been done in the design department.<\/p>\n

The app is organized into four main tabs: Friends, Chats, Blasts, and something that you could call Profile, although the app doesn\u2019t have a name for this last tab.<\/p>\n

The Friends and Chats tabs are fairly straightforward: Friends lists all the contacts you have in the app while the Chats is a screen with all your conversations. The Blasts tab is sort of a unique feature to Dust.<\/p>\n

Blasts are essentially broadcast messages<\/a> that you can send to your followers. Think of them as group messages that are received and read privately. It\u2019s like a Twitter that is internal to the Dust app. It serves the same purpose as Channels on Telegram or Servers on Discord<\/a>: to let you connect to a wider audience and share your thoughts and ideas.<\/p>\n

On the last screen\u2014let\u2019s call it Profile\u2014you can see your followers and the people you follow, as well as all your Blasts. Here, you can also access your Settings by tapping on the icon in the top right corner. You can write a Bio or add an image but most of the other settings are less geared towards customization and more towards general information and policies.<\/p>\n

Dust App Security<\/b><\/h2>\n

In the safety department, the Dust messaging app is almost unrivaled when compared to other secure instant messengers. If you compare it with Signal private messenger<\/a> which is often lauded for its security and transparency, you\u2019ll find that Dust achieves some important feats.<\/p>\n

For example, Dust doesn\u2019t store anything <\/i>on its servers. From the moment you send the message until the moment your contact receives it, nothing gets stored. Not only that, but your contact can\u2019t even save your messages or images in any way.<\/p>\n

We can say that Dust\u2019s Unique Selling Proposition is that all content is deleted after 100 seconds (once read) or 24 hours (if left unread).<\/p>\n

That can be an issue because, in regular messaging, you\u2019ll often want to come back to a conversation for various reasons. You can\u2019t do this in Dust, nor can you take a screenshot on Android. On iOS, you can take a screenshot but it instantly notifies the other person.<\/p>\n

These are perfect examples of how a laser focus on safety turns Dust into a niche app that just isn\u2019t usable as a go-to encrypted chat app<\/a>.<\/p>\n

[highlight_block title=”For more user-friendly chat apps that facilitate secure group communication, explore our recent article:” link1=”https:\/\/www.brosix.com\/blog\/encrypted-messaging-apps\/” link2=”” link3=”” ]<\/p>\n

Cyber Dust User Reviews<\/b><\/h2>\n

There are lots of Cyber Dust reviews online, most of which praise the app for its handling of data privacy with disappearing messages and end-to-end encryption. Most users agree that the app is one of the safest options out there, even compared to other secure messengers that occupy the same space.<\/p>\n

Most of the criticism is focused on the lack of features. Video calls<\/a>, recording voice messages, and uploading large files are all pain points that users have issues with. A lot of users aren\u2019t loving the color schemes and find them too simplistic and limiting.<\/p>\n

However, certain users understand that security comes at a price and are willing to give up some features if data safety can be guaranteed. One <\/span>particular Dust<\/span> review praises it for allowing users to delete any message at any time.<\/span><\/p>\n

The app currently has a <\/span>4.6 rating on the App Store<\/span><\/a> and a <\/span>4.1-<\/span>star rating on the <\/span>Google Play Store<\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Frequently Asked Questions About Dust<\/b><\/h2>\n

\"Frequently
\nNow, here are some questions that have been puzzling users and potential users of the Dust app.<\/p>\n

What is Cyber Dust used for?<\/h3>\n

The lack of features and a strong focus on safety might make you ask yourself which users the creators of the app had in mind when creating this app.<\/p>\n

The obvious answer is anyone who cares deeply about secure communication. You can use Dust to message groups and individuals just like with any other app, only with certain limitations. In general, Dust is perfect for sharing any kind of sensitive information.<\/p>\n

On their website, you\u2019ll find certain situations mentioned as great use cases for the app:<\/p>\n