# What are actual Delta Chat limitations? **URL:** \ **Category:** Uncategorized\ **Created:** [October 1, 2026, 2:29pm UTC](https://forum.delta.chat/t/what-are-actual-delta-chat-limitations/5845 "2026-10-01T14:29:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![ploum](https://forum.delta.chat/user_avatar/forum.delta.chat/ploum/32/3655_2.png) [@ploum](https://forum.delta.chat/u/ploum)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2026, 2:29pm UTC](https://forum.delta.chat/t/what-are-actual-delta-chat-limitations/5845/1 "2026-10-01T14:29:05Z")
I propose to list all current Delta Chat technical weaknesses/limitations that would prevent you to recommend DC instead of others (Signal, Matrix, Whatsapp, …) The goal is to have an honest and transparent pictures of what you should _not_ expect from Delta Chat right now. It is only technical. Some items might be out of scope or voluntarily avoided. Others may be implemented later. The goal is not to lobby for some features but be clear about what you should expect or not. (maybe this post could be edited to serve as a reference. ) ## General - No way to do “paper backups”. [[BIP-39 paper key suggested when creating a profile](https://support.delta.chat/t/bip-39-paper-key-suggested-when-creating-an-account/5860) ] - No way to “discover” your contacts through an existing address book. [this is by design and unlikely to change] - No way to write down your own DC account to share it with someone (unlike a phone number or a signal @id) - Sending large files (above 20/25 Mb) may require workarounds [[Large files support [integrate with large file sending solutions and workarounds]](https://support.delta.chat/t/large-files-support-integrate-with-large-file-sending-solutions-and-workarounds/414) ] - Some features are only available on Android/IOS/Desktop [see [DC feature differences](https://support.delta.chat/t/dc-feature-differences/5911) ] ## Security/privacy - Revoking an invite QR/link should be done manually. You can’t have “one time only” codes or multiple active invitations codes. - Not possible to know how many devices are linked to your account or to remotely disable one. - No Forward Secrecy/Plausible Deniability (yet, it’s coming) [[Encryption security issues [PFS, plausible deniability, PQC]](https://support.delta.chat/t/encryption-security-issues-pfs-plausible-deniability-pqc/5288) ] - Manual backups are not encrypted [[Encrypted backup of chats](https://support.delta.chat/t/encrypted-backup-of-chats/3119) ] - Webxdc apps may leak your real IP address [[Weaker security controls for webxdc apps [disable P2P realtime channels disappeared]](https://support.delta.chat/t/weaker-security-controls-for-webxdc-apps-disable-p2p-realtime-channels-disappeared/4654) ] ## Groups - No group video/audio call - No roles (admin/moderator) in groups [[Spec Proposal: Super Groups](https://support.delta.chat/t/spec-proposal-super-groups/4644) ] - No mentions in groups [[Direct mention on groups - #10 by irvan-putra](https://support.delta.chat/t/direct-mention-on-groups/185/10) ] - Joining a group from an invitation is not immediate. The sender of the invitation must come online to validate it [[User stuck at "waiting to be added to group" - #17 by ian](https://support.delta.chat/t/user-stuck-at-waiting-to-be-added-to-group/5746/17) ] - No Discord/Whatsapp communities “group of groups” ## Channels - No way for channel owners to protect their identity/privacy. Channel members can always privately contact the profile which created the channel. Channel owners can always contact members [[Channels reveal who the owner is](https://support.delta.chat/t/channels-reveal-who-the-owner-is/5878) ] - No way to share a channel you follow with someone else ---
**Author:** ![aaribaud](https://forum.delta.chat/user_avatar/forum.delta.chat/aaribaud/32/3652_2.png) [@aaribaud](https://forum.delta.chat/u/aaribaud)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2026, 2:48pm UTC](https://forum.delta.chat/t/what-are-actual-delta-chat-limitations/5845/2 "2026-10-01T14:48:59Z")
**General** - Automatically reset the QR Code / invite link every time it is displayed (makes the QR Codes displayed “single-use” therefore makes leaking a permanently valid QR code impossible) - Also provide another QR Code / invite link which can serve as a permanent “V-card” ---
**Author:** ![aaribaud](https://forum.delta.chat/user_avatar/forum.delta.chat/aaribaud/32/3652_2.png) [@aaribaud](https://forum.delta.chat/u/aaribaud)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2026, 2:52pm UTC](https://forum.delta.chat/t/what-are-actual-delta-chat-limitations/5845/3 "2026-10-01T14:52:17Z")
> [@ploum](#): > > - No way to write down your contact ID to share it with someone (unlike a phone number or a signal @idididid) I suspect the contact ID (public profile) is not enough alone unless DC provides an API which turns a public profile into a (one-time) QR COde / invite link, and the DC apps are told how to use that API. (but you can actually extract your “ID” from the invite link, see e.g. [My Delta Chat profile fingerprint | Albert's pages](https://albert.aribaud.net/en/geekery/delta-chat/) ) ---
**Author:** ![ploum](https://forum.delta.chat/user_avatar/forum.delta.chat/ploum/32/3655_2.png) [@ploum](https://forum.delta.chat/u/ploum)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2026, 2:52pm UTC](https://forum.delta.chat/t/what-are-actual-delta-chat-limitations/5845/4 "2026-10-01T14:52:35Z")
I rephrased your points to explicit what is missing (not what you want) as - Not possible to revoke a QR/link invite. Any leak will be permanent. ---
**Author:** ![Raiden](https://forum.delta.chat/user_avatar/forum.delta.chat/raiden/32/2544_2.png) [@Raiden](https://forum.delta.chat/u/Raiden)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2026, 2:52pm UTC](https://forum.delta.chat/t/what-are-actual-delta-chat-limitations/5845/5 "2026-10-01T14:52:38Z")
From my perspective, there’s a security vulnerability in DC-Desktop. Unlike other versions, no system password is required to create a backup or add an additional device. DC has the advantage that profiles can use an unlimited number of devices simultaneously. However, it’s not possible to see how many devices are using a profile. Therefore, there’s a risk that an attacker (e.g., a toxic partner) who gains access to a laptop running DC-Desktop could add their own device to the profile. This means that the attacker can read everything and even send fake messages. The victim has no way of noticing this. A stalker’s dream. Furthermore, many users are unaware of this vulnerability. The feature is called “add second device,” not “add additional device.” This lack of awareness contributes to the problem. ---
**Author:** ![aaribaud](https://forum.delta.chat/user_avatar/forum.delta.chat/aaribaud/32/3652_2.png) [@aaribaud](https://forum.delta.chat/u/aaribaud)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2026, 2:54pm UTC](https://forum.delta.chat/t/what-are-actual-delta-chat-limitations/5845/7 "2026-10-01T14:54:54Z")
> [@ploum](#): > > I rephrased your points to explicit what is missing (not what you want) as > > - Not possible to revoke a QR/link invite. Any leak will be permanent. No: it _is_ possible to revoke a QR Code (that’s the “reset” thing). What is not possible is to have it auto-revoke/auto-renew on each use. ---
**Author:** ![ploum](https://forum.delta.chat/user_avatar/forum.delta.chat/ploum/32/3655_2.png) [@ploum](https://forum.delta.chat/u/ploum)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2026, 2:57pm UTC](https://forum.delta.chat/t/what-are-actual-delta-chat-limitations/5845/8 "2026-10-01T14:57:10Z")
> [@aaribaud](#): > > No: it _is_ possible to revoke a QR Code (that’s the “reset” thing). What is not possible is to have it auto-revoke/auto-renew on each use. How do you do that? ---
**Author:** ![ploum](https://forum.delta.chat/user_avatar/forum.delta.chat/ploum/32/3655_2.png) [@ploum](https://forum.delta.chat/u/ploum)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2026, 2:57pm UTC](https://forum.delta.chat/t/what-are-actual-delta-chat-limitations/5845/9 "2026-10-01T14:57:52Z")
> [@Raiden](#): > > Furthermore, many users are unaware of this vulnerability. The feature is called “add second device,” not “add additional device.” This lack of awareness contributes to the problem. Indeed, this is a very important shortcoming that people must be aware of. ---
**Author:** ![aaribaud](https://forum.delta.chat/user_avatar/forum.delta.chat/aaribaud/32/3652_2.png) [@aaribaud](https://forum.delta.chat/u/aaribaud)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2026, 3:01pm UTC](https://forum.delta.chat/t/what-are-actual-delta-chat-limitations/5845/10 "2026-10-01T15:01:40Z")
On the mobile app : from the main page, tap the QR code icon on the upper right next to the three-point menu. That displays your (current) QR code. Then tap the three-point menu on the upper right of that page, you’ll see three lines, the last of which is red and says “Reset the QR Code” (“réinitialiser le code QR”). On the (Linux) desktop app, there does not seem to be a way to reset the QR code. ---
**Author:** ![aaribaud](https://forum.delta.chat/user_avatar/forum.delta.chat/aaribaud/32/3652_2.png) [@aaribaud](https://forum.delta.chat/u/aaribaud)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2026, 3:17pm UTC](https://forum.delta.chat/t/what-are-actual-delta-chat-limitations/5845/11 "2026-10-01T15:17:38Z")
For mobile apps I suspect that is easy to implement through their password/pattern/fingerprint security features (that’s assuming the attacker cannot get through those, but then if they can, then the whole phone is insecure). For the desktop app, that’s a bit more complicated, and probably requires implementing ad hoc password-based security, encrypting any on-disk file, and checking the password again on critical operations such as those you described. ---
**Author:** ![Raiden](https://forum.delta.chat/user_avatar/forum.delta.chat/raiden/32/2544_2.png) [@Raiden](https://forum.delta.chat/u/Raiden)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2026, 3:24pm UTC](https://forum.delta.chat/t/what-are-actual-delta-chat-limitations/5845/12 "2026-10-01T15:24:32Z")
Yes, that certainly involves more effort, but renaming the feature to “Add Additional Device” could actually help a bit. It would raise security awareness and also serve as good publicity. Many people believe that you can only use two devices per profile in DC. ---
**Author:** ![louis](https://forum.delta.chat/user_avatar/forum.delta.chat/louis/32/3729_2.png) [@louis](https://forum.delta.chat/u/louis)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2026, 5:11pm UTC](https://forum.delta.chat/t/what-are-actual-delta-chat-limitations/5845/13 "2026-10-01T17:11:23Z")
I’d add the following to the list: For groups, no way to use roles like admin, moderator. ---
**Author:** ![bleb](https://forum.delta.chat/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/b/c77e96/32.png) [@bleb](https://forum.delta.chat/u/bleb)\ **Post date:** [October 1, 2026, 5:18pm UTC](https://forum.delta.chat/t/what-are-actual-delta-chat-limitations/5845/14 "2026-10-01T17:18:48Z")
One weakness to add to your list: Group invitation links require two round trips between the sender and the recipient, potentially leading to long periods of waiting to be added to a group. This is less convenient than Signal, which uses servers to handle group links so that you don’t have to wait twice for the invite sender in particular to open DeltaChat. This issue is discussed in greater depth here: [https://support.delta.chat/t/user-stuck-at-waiting-to-be-added-to-group/5746](https://support.delta.chat/t/user-stuck-at-waiting-to-be-added-to-group/5746) I still need to revisit that thread and figure out definitively whether e.g. the iOS app can complete the round trips without the user explicitly opening it. ---
**Author:** ![WofWca](https://forum.delta.chat/user_avatar/forum.delta.chat/wofwca/32/1702_2.png) [@WofWca](https://forum.delta.chat/u/WofWca)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2026, 6:57am UTC](https://forum.delta.chat/t/what-are-actual-delta-chat-limitations/5845/15 "2026-10-02T06:57:58Z")
Very similar topic: > [@Adoption Blockers: What is the most annoying missing Feature to you?](https://support.delta.chat/t/adoption-blockers-what-is-the-most-annoying-missing-feature-to-you/1974): > > I’m interested in collecting the things that block or slow down the adoption of delta chat. What is the most annoying missing Feature to you? What prevents people from using delta chat? I’ll start with some things: reliable iOS Push Notifications (the heartbeat server made things a bit better, but it’s still lacking and sometimes not working at all) easier multidevice setup Backup import/export is too hard for normal people (we have network backup transfer planed) also we need to improve c… ---
**Author:** ![lk108](https://forum.delta.chat/user_avatar/forum.delta.chat/lk108/32/1668_2.png) [@lk108](https://forum.delta.chat/u/lk108)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2026, 8:26am UTC](https://forum.delta.chat/t/what-are-actual-delta-chat-limitations/5845/16 "2026-10-02T08:26:53Z")
> [@ploum](#): > > - No way to invite someone into a group (you need to find the link/QR code then send it) It’s possible if you have the other person already in your contact list. Go to the group profile page (e.g., click on the header of the group) and select “Add members”. ---
**Author:** ![lk108](https://forum.delta.chat/user_avatar/forum.delta.chat/lk108/32/1668_2.png) [@lk108](https://forum.delta.chat/u/lk108)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2026, 8:31am UTC](https://forum.delta.chat/t/what-are-actual-delta-chat-limitations/5845/17 "2026-10-02T08:31:00Z")
> [@ploum](#): > > - Joining a group from an invitation is not immediate. The sender of the invitation must come online to validate it Can be solved by the InviteBot (but I can see that this is not a solution for everyone) EDIT: This will break encryption [as explained below](https://support.delta.chat/t/what-are-actual-delta-chat-limitations/5845/33) ---
**Author:** ![ploum](https://forum.delta.chat/user_avatar/forum.delta.chat/ploum/32/3655_2.png) [@ploum](https://forum.delta.chat/u/ploum)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2026, 8:58am UTC](https://forum.delta.chat/t/what-are-actual-delta-chat-limitations/5845/18 "2026-10-02T08:58:50Z")
> [@lk108](#): > > It’s possible if you have the other person already in your contact list. Go to the group profile page (e.g., click on the header of the group) and select “Add members”. Indeed, I missed that. Removing that line. ---
**Author:** ![koala](https://forum.delta.chat/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/k/3da27b/32.png) [@koala](https://forum.delta.chat/u/koala)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2026, 10:17am UTC](https://forum.delta.chat/t/what-are-actual-delta-chat-limitations/5845/19 "2026-10-02T10:17:57Z")
In my opinion, backing up without multiple devices is a problem. WhatsApp can back up to Google Drive transparently automatically (on Android. Maybe on iOS it does iCloud?) (I think there should be some kind of “standard” to let apps have backing storage on configurable remote targets. It would be so cool if you could write easily apps that prompt you to choose some storage [Google Drive, but also Nextcloud or maybe even S3, etc.] to grant them access to a specific folder.) Also note that some Delta Chat limitations might be mitigated by the ease or running multiple identities in a device. It seems easy to me to create throwaway identities for specific events (e.g. I’m selling something on the Internet, I’m going to some event, etc.) then discard them after a while- you can always send your real identity to contacts you want to keep. ---
**Author:** ![ploum](https://forum.delta.chat/user_avatar/forum.delta.chat/ploum/32/3655_2.png) [@ploum](https://forum.delta.chat/u/ploum)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2026, 12:23pm UTC](https://forum.delta.chat/t/what-are-actual-delta-chat-limitations/5845/20 "2026-10-02T12:23:03Z")
> [@koala](#): > > Also note that some Delta Chat limitations might be mitigated by the ease or running multiple identities in a device While it’s true, this only works for case when you know in advance that some extra privacy is needed. The opposite is also true: I’ve created a second profile for a case when I pas a bit paranoid and now I regret it because I have to handle two “regular” profiles (and I would need to migrate all contacts from one to another, which is not possible because I manage groups in both profiles) ---
**Author:** ![coriander](https://forum.delta.chat/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/c/71c47a/32.png) [@coriander](https://forum.delta.chat/u/coriander)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2026, 12:59pm UTC](https://forum.delta.chat/t/what-are-actual-delta-chat-limitations/5845/21 "2026-10-02T12:59:20Z")
Question that might lead to a limitation: is there potential for messages to be deleted from your relay server if your device is offline for more days than messages are stored? (Standard for relays seems to be: “Messages are unconditionally removed latest 20 days after arriving on the server. Earlier, if storage may exceed otherwise.”) If all your devices were offline for 30 days, for example, would you completely lose ability to access messages sent to you during that time? Or am I misunderstanding relay message storage? Thanks! [Next page](https://forum.delta.chat/t/what-are-actual-delta-chat-limitations/5845.md?page=2)