Overview

Welcome to BlockStar Cypher

BlockStar Cypher is a privacy-first messaging platform where your identity, your keys, and your conversations truly belong to you — secured by blockchain technology.

🔐

End-to-End Encrypted

Every message is encrypted so only you and your recipient can read it.

🪪

Own Your Identity

Your @username is an NFT on the blockchain — no one can take it from you.

📡

Works Everywhere

Web, mobile, desktop, and even offline via Bluetooth mesh networking.

⛓️

Blockchain-Powered

Built on BlockStar Mainnet with EVM-compatible wallet support.

ℹ️

How this guide works: Use the sidebar to jump to any topic. Each section walks you through a specific feature with step-by-step instructions.

Prerequisites

Requirements

Before you start, make sure you have the following set up.

🌐 Browser / App

✓ Chrome 90+ (recommended)
✓ Firefox 90+
✓ Safari 15+
✓ iOS App / Android App
✓ Desktop App (Windows/macOS)

👛 Wallet

✓ MetaMask (browser extension)
✓ WalletConnect-compatible wallet
✓ Any EVM-compatible wallet
✓ BlockStar Mainnet configured

⛓️ BlockStar Mainnet Network Details

Setting	Value
Network Name	`BlockStar Mainnet`
Chain ID	`0x1588`
RPC URL	`mainnet-rpc.blockstar.one`
Currency Symbol	`BST`
EVM Compatible	`Yes`

💡

You can add BlockStar Mainnet to MetaMask by going to Settings → Networks → Add Network and entering the details above.

Onboarding

Getting Started

Get up and running with BlockStar Cypher in under five minutes.

1

Open the Platform

Navigate to cypher.blockstar.world in your browser, or open the mobile/desktop app.

ℹ️

The web app works as a PWA — you can install it on your home screen from the browser menu.

2

Connect Your Wallet

Click Connect Wallet on the login screen. Choose MetaMask or a WalletConnect-compatible wallet. Approve the connection request in your wallet app.

3

Sign the Authentication Message

Your wallet will prompt you to sign a message. This is not a transaction — it costs no gas. The signature derives your unique encryption keys so your messages remain private.

4

Set Up Your Profile

If you own a BlockStar Domains NFT username, it will automatically appear. Otherwise, your shortened wallet address is used as a temporary identifier. You can also upload a profile photo and add a bio.

5

Start Messaging!

Use the search bar to find contacts by their @username or wallet address. Tap New Message to start a conversation.

Identity

Wallet Setup & Login

Your wallet is your identity on BlockStar Cypher. No email or password is ever needed.

🦊 MetaMask (Desktop)

1. Install MetaMask extension from metamask.io
2. Create or import a wallet and securely save your seed phrase
3. Add BlockStar Mainnet network (see Requirements)
4. Click Connect Wallet on Cypher

📱 Mobile (WalletConnect)

1. Open any WalletConnect-compatible wallet app (Trust Wallet, Rainbow, etc.)
2. Tap Connect Wallet on Cypher web app
3. Scan the QR code shown with your wallet app
4. Approve and sign the authentication message

⚠️

Never share your seed phrase or private key with anyone — not even BlockStar support. BlockStar Cypher only ever asks you to sign a message, never to enter your seed phrase.

Identity

NFT Username

Your @username on BlockStar Cypher is a real NFT on the blockchain. You own it — it cannot be revoked.

🎭

What is an NFT Username?

BlockStar Domains lets you mint a human-readable @username that is stored as an ERC-721 NFT on BlockStar Mainnet. Instead of sharing a long wallet address like 0x3f9c..., you simply share your @username.

How to Mint Your Username

1

Visit BlockStar Domains
Go to the BlockStar Domains platform. Search for your desired username.

2

Mint the NFT
Pay the minting fee in BST. Confirm the transaction in your wallet. The NFT is now in your wallet.

3

Automatic Recognition
Next time you log into BlockStar Cypher, your wallet is scanned and your @username appears automatically. No manual setup needed.

💡

Transferable: You can sell or gift your NFT username to anyone. Whoever holds the NFT owns the identity.

ℹ️

Profile Data: Your username, avatar, and bio can be stored on-chain so they travel with your NFT identity.

Core Feature

Messaging

Send and receive end-to-end encrypted messages with any BlockStar Cypher user instantly.

Starting a Conversation

🔍

Search by Username

Type @username in the search bar. Select the contact from results.

📋

Search by Wallet

Paste any EVM wallet address (0x...) in the search bar to start a new chat.

📇

From Contacts

Tap any existing contact in your list to open or continue a conversation.

Message Types

Type	Description	Max Size
💬 Text	Standard text messages with emoji support	Unlimited
🖼️ Image	JPG, PNG, GIF, WebP images	10 MB
🎥 Video	MP4, WebM, MOV video clips	10 MB
🎵 Audio	MP3, WAV, OGG, M4A audio files	10 MB
📄 Document	PDF, DOC, DOCX, TXT files	10 MB
🎙️ Voice Note	Record and send voice messages directly	10 MB
📍 Location	Share your current location	—

Message Actions

↩️ Reply
Long-press or right-click a message to reply. The original message is quoted.

✏️ Edit
Edit your own messages after sending. An "edited" label appears.

🗑️ Delete
Delete messages for yourself or for everyone in the conversation.

➡️ Forward
Forward any message to another conversation or contact.

🔐

All messages are encrypted using wallet-derived cryptographic keys. Even BlockStar's servers cannot read your conversations. Keys are derived fresh each time you sign in with your wallet.

Core Feature

Group Chats

Create encrypted group conversations for your team, community, or DAO.

Creating a Group

1

Tap "New Group"
Find the option in the main menu or conversations list.

2

Name Your Group
Give the group a name and optionally upload a group avatar image.

3

Add Members
Search for members by @username or wallet address. Add as many as needed.

4

Create
The group is created, encrypted keys are distributed, and all members are notified.

👑 Admin Controls

→ Add or remove members
→ Change group name and avatar
→ Promote other members to admin
→ Generate invite links
→ Dissolve the group

🔐 Group Encryption

Group messages use a shared group encryption key distributed securely to all members. When someone joins or leaves, the key is automatically rotated so past messages remain private.

🔑 Key Rotation on Membership Change

Core Feature

Voice & Video Calls

Make crystal-clear encrypted voice and video calls directly within the app.

📞

Start an Audio Call

Open a conversation and tap the phone icon in the top bar. The recipient receives an in-app call notification.

📹

Start a Video Call

Tap the video camera icon next to the phone icon. Your camera activates and the call begins when accepted.

👥

Group Calls

Start a group audio or video call from any group chat. All members can join simultaneously.

During a Call — Controls

🎤

Toggle Microphone

📷

Toggle Camera

🔊

Speaker / Headset

🖥️

Screen Share

🔴

End Call

🛡️

Calls use WebRTC with DTLS-SRTP encryption — the same standard used by leading secure communication platforms. Calls are peer-to-peer when possible; no call media is stored on servers.

Core Feature

File Sharing

Share files securely with end-to-end encryption. All files are encrypted before they leave your device.

How to Send a File

1 Tap the paperclip / attachment icon in the message input bar.

2 Select a file from your device. Supported formats include images, videos, audio, and documents.

3 A preview is shown before sending. Add a caption (optional) and tap Send.

4 The file is encrypted on your device, uploaded, then decrypted only by the recipient.

⚠️

Maximum file size is 10 MB per file. For larger files, consider using a file hosting service and sharing the link.

Core Feature

Emoji & Reactions

Express yourself with a full emoji picker and react to individual messages.

😀 Using the Emoji Picker

Click the smiley face icon in the message bar to open the full emoji picker. You can search by keyword or browse categories.

Unicode 15.0 — Thousands of Emojis

👍 Message Reactions

Long-press (mobile) or hover-and-click (desktop) on any message to open the reaction panel. Tap any emoji to react. Multiple people can react; counts update in real-time.

Core Feature

Read Receipts

Know when your messages have been delivered and read.

Status Icon	Meaning
⏳ Clock	Message is being encrypted and sent
✓ Single tick	Message delivered to recipient's device
✓✓ Double tick (grey)	Message delivered but not yet read
✓✓ Double tick (blue)	Message has been read by the recipient

ℹ️

Read receipts update in real-time via WebSocket. They sync across all your devices, so you always know the correct status.

Advanced

Multi-Device Sync

Access your full message history on any device — no QR codes, no setup. Just connect your wallet.

How It Works

Because your encryption keys are derived deterministically from your wallet signature, any device where you sign in with the same wallet gets the same keys — and can therefore decrypt your stored message history.

📱 iOS App

🤖 Android App

💻 Desktop App

🌐 Web Browser

💡

You can be logged in on multiple devices simultaneously. Messages appear on all active devices in real-time.

Advanced

Push Notifications

Never miss a message even when the app is closed.

🔔 Enabling Notifications

1. Open Settings inside the app
2. Tap Notifications
3. Allow notifications when your browser or OS prompts
4. Notifications will now arrive even with the app closed

🔕 Privacy Controls

→ Hide message content from previews
→ Mute specific conversations
→ Set Do Not Disturb hours
→ Per-conversation sound settings

Advanced

Mesh Networking

Stay connected even without internet using Bluetooth and WiFi Direct mesh networking.

📡 What is Mesh Networking?

When internet is unavailable, BlockStar Cypher can automatically create a local mesh network with nearby users using Bluetooth Low Energy and WiFi Direct. Messages hop between devices to reach their destination — no internet required.

🎪 Festivals & Events

🏕️ Remote Areas

🚨 Emergencies

✊ Offline Zones

Enabling Mesh Mode

1

Grant Bluetooth & Location Permissions
The app needs Bluetooth and location access to discover nearby peers.

2

Enable Mesh in Settings
Go to Settings → Mesh Networking and toggle it on. You'll see nearby Cypher users appear.

3

Message Normally
Conversations automatically route over the mesh when internet is unavailable. All messages remain encrypted.

⚠️

Mesh networking is available on the mobile app only. Desktop and web users require an active internet connection.

Advanced

Multi-Chain Support

BlockStar Cypher is natively on BlockStar Mainnet but supports wallets from multiple chains.

Chain	Support Level	Notes
⛓️ BlockStar Mainnet	Native	Full support, NFT usernames, BST token
Ξ Ethereum	Wallet Auth	Use ETH wallet to log in
🔷 EVM Chains	Wallet Auth	Any EVM-compatible wallet works
🌉 Cross-Chain Bridge	Roadmap	Coming in a future update

ℹ️

For full features including NFT usernames, you should use a wallet connected to BlockStar Mainnet. Other EVM chains can still log in and message but won't have BlockStar Domain support.

Security

Privacy Controls

You are in full control of your privacy on BlockStar Cypher.

👁️ Who Can Message Me

Control whether anyone can message you or only people in your contacts list. Find this in Settings → Privacy.

🟢 Online Status

Choose to hide your online/last-seen status from others. When hidden, you will also not see others' status.

✓✓ Read Receipts

Disable read receipts so others don't know when you've read their messages. Note: you also won't see read receipts for your messages.

🗑️ Message Deletion

Delete messages for yourself or for everyone. You can clear entire conversations from your history.

Security

Security Best Practices

Follow these tips to keep your account and conversations as secure as possible.

🔑

Protect Your Seed Phrase

Your wallet seed phrase (12–24 words) is the master key to everything. Write it down on paper, store it offline, and never share it with anyone online.

🔒

Lock Your Wallet App

Enable PIN, fingerprint, or Face ID on your wallet app. This prevents unauthorized access if your device is lost or stolen.

👀

Verify Contacts

Before sharing sensitive information, verify the contact's wallet address or NFT username through a secondary channel (phone call, in person) to prevent impersonation.

🚪

Log Out on Shared Devices

Always disconnect your wallet and log out when using a shared or public computer. Go to Settings → Disconnect Wallet.

⚠️

BlockStar Cypher support staff will never ask for your seed phrase, private key, or wallet password. Any message claiming to be from support that asks for these is a scam.

Help

Frequently Asked Questions

Is BlockStar Cypher free to use? +

Yes, messaging, file sharing, and calls are free to use. The only cost is the one-time gas fee to mint an NFT username on-chain — this goes to the network, not BlockStar.

Can BlockStar read my messages? +

No. Messages are encrypted with keys derived from your wallet. The server only ever sees encrypted data. Not even BlockStar's team can decrypt your messages.

What happens if I lose access to my wallet? +

If you lose your wallet, you lose access to your account and message history since your keys are derived from it. Always keep a secure backup of your wallet seed phrase.

Do I need BST tokens to use the app? +

BST tokens are only needed for minting an NFT username. Messaging itself does not require any transactions or tokens. Connecting your wallet and signing the auth message is free (it's a signature, not a transaction).

Can I use the same account on multiple devices? +

Yes! Simply connect the same wallet on any device and sign the authentication message. Your full message history will be available within seconds.

What is the maximum file size I can send? +

The current maximum file size per attachment is 10 MB. This applies to images, videos, audio files, and documents.

Help

Get Support

Our team is here to help you get the most out of BlockStar Cypher.

📧

Email Support

For account issues, bugs, or general questions

support@blockstar.site

🌐

Website

Visit our main website for news and updates

cypher.blockstar.world ↗

ℹ️

When contacting support, include your wallet address (not your seed phrase!) and a description of the issue. Screenshots are very helpful.

End-to-end encrypted messaging with wallet-derived keys.