Help
Quick answers to the most frequently asked questions.
How do I install Solo2 on my phone?
Solo2 works directly in the browser, without downloading anything from any store. But if you want to receive notifications (nudges) or have it as an app on your home screen, you need to install it. It only takes a minute.
Important on iPhone and Android
Install Solo2 on your home screen BEFORE creating your account. If you create your account from the browser first, your vault will remain inside the browser, separate from the installed app. Notifications won’t work from the browser either. This is a limitation of Apple and Android, not Solo2.
On iPhone (Safari):
- Open solo2.net in Safari
- Tap the share button (square with an upward arrow)
- Tap “Add to Home Screen”
- Open Solo2 from the new icon
- Now create your account from the installed app
On Android:
The browser directly offers you “Install app” the first time you visit Solo2. Accept the installation and create your account from the installed app.
On a computer:
No installation needed. Solo2 works directly in the browser. Notifications work in all desktop browsers.
Your vault lives inside a single browser
Solo2 stores all your data — messages, files, contacts — in an encrypted vault inside the browser where you created your account. If you use Chrome, your vault is in Chrome. If you open Firefox on the same computer, it will be a different, empty vault. It’s like a safe built into a wall: if you move house, the safe stays in the old house. That’s why it’s important to choose where you create your account and not switch browsers afterwards.
What happens when my balance runs out?
You start with a free trial period. All features, no limits, no card required. After that, the service costs 10 cents a day — only the days you have it active. You can pause and reactivate whenever you want.
If your balance reaches zero, you can still log into Solo2 and access your vault. But you won’t be able to communicate until you top up.
If you run out of balance, you have 90 days of grace period. If after those 90 days you haven't topped up, your registration is deleted from the server. But your local data — your vault with messages, files and contacts — stays on your device. It's yours forever.
If you keep your cryptographic identity (your 24 recovery words or the equivalent QR code), you can access your vault at any time, even without an active account.
Do we both need to be connected to talk?
Yes. Solo2 is direct communication, like a phone call. Messages go from your device to the other person’s device without passing through any server. For this to work, you both need to be connected at the same time.
If your contact is not connected, the message waits on your device. When you’re both connected, it’s delivered instantly.
You can send them a nudge — a notification that lets them know you want to talk. When they connect, you’ll be able to communicate.
Can I recover my data if I lose my phone?
Your data lives on your device, not on our server. If you lose your only device and have no backup, the messages are lost. That’s not a bug: it’s security. They’re your data, on your devices, not on ours.
Protect yourself: use two devices
When you’re connected on two devices at the same time, Solo2 automatically syncs the contents of your vaults. If you lose one, the other has your copy. You don’t have to do anything — syncing is automatic as long as both are active.
Make backups
In addition to using two devices, you can export a copy of your cryptographic identity and your complete vault to any external medium that you own and fully control. Be careful with the passwords for those backups: they are the key to your identity.
Your cryptographic identity (your 24 words or the equivalent QR code) allows you to recover your identity from any device. Write them down on paper and keep them in a safe place.
Why doesn't Solo2 offer to save my password?
Solo2 doesn't let your operating system's keychain (Apple Keychain, Google Password Manager) store your credentials. It's not a bug — it's a principled decision.
Solo2 promises that no trace of your activity remains outside your control. Credentials stored in an external keychain are accessible by your operating system's manufacturer, and by anyone with access to your device and your fingerprint or Face ID.
Your username and password only exist in your memory and on your device — if you choose so.
Maximum Security
In Settings you'll find the Maximum Security toggle. When enabled, Solo2 asks for your password every time you open the app — the session closes automatically. When disabled, Solo2 remembers your session on the device and you get in directly.
Do you share your device with other people? Keep Maximum Security enabled. Are you the only one who uses your phone? Disable it to get in with a single tap.
Can Solo2 block my access to my data?
No. Not even we can do that. Solo2 has no mechanism to revoke your access remotely — and that's a deliberate decision.
Your data is yours. Your 24 recovery words give you access to your vault at all times, regardless of whether the server exists or is running. Nobody — not a judge, not an administrator, not us — can take that key away from you.
What happens if I lose my phone?
Your device's protection is the PIN, fingerprint or Face ID that you set up. Solo2 doesn't add a remote "emergency button" because that would mean someone — even if it were us — could decide who accesses your data and who doesn't. If someone else has access to your unlocked phone, the problem predates any application.
If you have your 24 words or the equivalent QR, you can restore your identity on any new device. But identity is not the same as data: when you sign in on a new device, you are you, but your vault is empty. Your data only exists inside the vaults of the devices where you had it. The only way to get it back is to have two devices active at the same time — they detect each other and sync all the information — or through the backups you've made.
What trace does Solo2 leave on my device?
Solo2 is a web application. It's not downloaded from any store. That means neither Apple nor Google know you use it. There's no record in your purchase history, in your Apple or Google account, or on any external server.
If you install Solo2 on your home screen
An icon appears on your home screen, just like any other app. But the difference is that this icon isn't linked to any Apple or Google account. If you delete Solo2 from your device, everything disappears: the icon, the browser data, and your local vault. Nothing remains.
If it were a store app
Any app downloaded from the App Store or Google Play is permanently recorded in your purchase history, even if you delete it afterwards. Apple or Google know you installed it, when, and on which device. Anyone with access to your family account can see it.
The only person who can know you use Solo2 is someone holding your phone and seeing the icon. There is no centralised record anywhere. It's as simple as that.