Tern: Encrypted Chat

A tiny messenger built for private conversations, slow connections and phones where every megabyte matters.

Tern is a messenger under 2 MB.

Most chat apps take hundreds of megabytes. Tern installs in seconds, takes almost no space, and is built to work where heavier messaging apps struggle — including on 2G.

Your identity is Tern ID

No phone number. No password.

Your Tern ID is your identity. Share it with someone and start a private conversation without giving away your phone number.

Nothing to remember. Nothing to reset. Just your Tern ID.

Built for slow connections

Tern is designed for unreliable and expensive connections.

Send text, replies, voice notes, photos and files. Media loads when you choose to open it, with the file size shown first — so you stay in control of what you download and what you spend.

Private by design

Your conversations are end-to-end encrypted.

Block and report are built in, and disappearing messages let you choose how long conversations remain.

Groups

Create private group conversations with the people you choose.

Free, without user tracking

Tern is free to use and may show sponsored notices.

Sponsored notices are shown to everyone in the same way. We don't track who sees them.

No user tracking. No behavioural advertising.

Tiny app. Long reach.

The tern is a tiny bird capable of extraordinary migrations.

Tern is built around the same idea: stay small, go further.

A tiny messenger with a huge range.