Flash Chats
A private 1:1 messenger with self-destructing messages — free, with no ads, no in-app purchases, and no data collection.
Overview
Flash Chats is an in-house product of Whale Group Ltd. The company's primary activity remains custom software and digital product engineering for business clients.
Most messengers keep conversations forever, push ads or upsells, and sit on company-operated message servers. Flash Chats is the opposite: a focused 1:1 channel for messages that should not linger — not a social network, not group rooms, not a public feed.
Create a chat, share an invite QR or code, and pair with another iCloud account. Messages are encrypted on device; Apple iCloud / CloudKit carries ciphertext only. Whale Group runs no message or attachment servers and cannot read your chats.
How it works: host creates a chat → share QR or invite code → guest joins (self-pairing your own invite is blocked) → messages and attachments expire on a per-chat TTL (default 1 hour; also 24 hours or 5 days).
Completely free — no subscriptions, no in-app purchases, no advertising, and no analytics SDK. Fully private by design. iCloud is required; encryption keys stay on this device (no cross-device key recovery without a local backup). Push alerts are generic (“New message”) and depend on CloudKit / APNs.
Screenshots
Interface previews from the live iOS app.
Product Roadmap
Public product milestones from concept through App Store launch.
Concept & Privacy Model
CompletedDefined the 1:1 ephemeral product, invite pairing, device-bound keys, and CloudKit ciphertext delivery — with no company message servers.
Core iOS Build
CompletedShipped native SwiftUI client: chats, QR/code invites, TTL, attachments, App Lock, and share/widget surfaces.
App Store Launch
CompletedFlash Chats is live on the App Store — free, with no ads and no in-app purchases.
Key Capabilities
Core capabilities shipped in the product — privacy and simplicity first.
Ephemeral message TTL
Messages and attachments self-destruct. Default is 1 hour; each chat can use 1 hour, 24 hours, or 5 days.
Invite QR & code pairing
Host creates the chat; guest joins via QR or invite code on another iCloud account. Self-pairing your own invite is blocked.
On-device end-to-end encryption
Encryption happens on the device. CloudKit delivers ciphertext only — Whale Group cannot read messages.
View-once media & files
Send photos, video, and files with view-once options when a message should not stick around.
App Lock & quiet pushes
Face ID / Touch ID App Lock. Push notifications stay generic — no message text in the alert.
Free — no ads, no tracking
No subscriptions, no in-app purchases, no advertising, and no analytics SDK. Completely free and fully private.
Who It’s For
Personal, sensitive one-to-one conversations — not an enterprise chat suite.
Sensitive 1:1 conversations
Personal talks that should expire — planning, logistics, or anything you would rather not leave in an endless archive.
Privacy-first consumer products
A live reference for how Whale Group ships a focused iOS product with honest limits and no surveillance business model.
Not an enterprise suite
Built for individuals on iPhone — not team workspaces, admin consoles, or group rooms.
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Interested in building something similar?
Whale Group Ltd designs and ships custom software products for teams that need reliable digital infrastructure and thoughtful UX.