Users of the crypto-messenger Threema can use a new feature called Threema Safe to automatically save important data on the Threema server or on a server of its own. This helps, for example, if you lose your smartphone used for Threema.
Part of the safe backup is basic information such as Threema ID, username, profile picture and contacts, as well as the group memberships and distribution lists, as well as numerous privacy settings. Message content is not part of this backup.
According to Threema, the backup is encrypted with a user-selected password. It is said that the algorithm used is "deliberately memory and computationally intensive to complicate a brute force attack".
A fuse every 24 hours
"Threema Safe creates a backup approximately every 24 hours, if something has changed in the data to be backed up and an Internet connection exists", the company explains the new function further. "Each new backup replaces the previous one, so there is always exactly one backup up-to-date."
To set up the backup process, you should open the page menu in the main view of Threema by tapping on the three horizontal bars in the top left corner. Then you get the option "Backup Now" via "My Backups" and "Threema Safe".
If the Threema app does not connect to the Threema server for 180 days, a Threema Safe backup created with it will automatically be deleted.
Switch from iOS to Android possible
In contrast to the Threema ID, which has already been possible for some time, the user profile can also be taken over and used by Threema Safe when switching from Android to iOS or in the other direction. "Threema Safe is platform-independent," it says. "It does not matter in which version of Threema Threema Safe was created, it can be recovered on any platform."
Initially, however, Threema Safe will only be available to Android users (from app version 3.6). iOS and Windows Phone will soon be supported by update also.