Mastodawn

After three intense months of work from more than a dozen contributors, #deltachat 2.48 releases are rolling. Maybe the most feature-packed releases ever?

- "zero metadata" messaging

- native Audio/Video calls on Android and iOS, as well as UbuntuTouch

- Group and Channel descriptions

- A new background audio player

- Revamped Download-on-Demand

and, last but not least, the long-awaited next-generation of messaging resiliency through "multi-path" routing ....

https://delta.chat/en/2026-03-31-zero

Delta Chat: Zero metadata, group descriptions, native audio/video calls and much more!

With the latest 2.48+ releases, a chat message reveals close to zero metadata to servers. For cryptographers and messenger enthusiasts, here are the key points on how we turned email very close to ...

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zivi 1d ago

@delta havent you always been advertising “zero metadata”. now its zero-er? hmh

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Delta Chat 1d ago

@zaire we minimized metadata in prior steps, but only this release goes all the way. Maybe read the post for more context.

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Kenny 1d ago

@delta @[email protected] It doesn't really go "all the way" though. Just because the email address is random, it doesn't make it unbreakable: it's still a unique and persistent identifier.

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zivi 1d ago

@kbruen @delta that. the persistent email addresses have always been a concern of mine. they can be recorded, they can be tracked, what’s up with that

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zivi 1d ago

@kbruen @delta part of me feels like delta is so commited to staying “the email messenger” because of some sunk cost fallacy. dont get me wrong, it works, but theres so much extra working around flaws that wouldntve existed with a proper IM protocol that has to be done

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Kenny 23h ago

@[email protected] @delta No. Using email as a backbone is one of the big selling points. Otherwise, there's dozens of apps out there. Using the email infrastructure brings advantages no other protocol can bring, such as censorship resistance.
That's not the issue here. For example, the blog post mentions multiple relays, but only one seems to be used for sending, which feels like that meme of a miner giving up right before reaching diamonds. If Delta Chat would send each message from a random relay, the problem would pretty much be solved. Alas, I have a love-hate relationship with Delta Chat, and I often find the choices of the devs puzzling.

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Delta Chat 21h ago

@kbruen @zaire we are proceeding step-wise and aim to provide stable user experiences across versions. In the last section of the blog post https://delta.chat/en/2026-03-31-zero#maximizing-availability-and-resilience-through-multi-path-delivery we already sketch a path forward that includes switching sending relays. But we need to move and change an implementation, and cant just work on the idea level alone.

Delta Chat: Zero metadata, group descriptions, native audio/video calls and much more!

I like the step-by-step approach.

As soon as address-randomization is reached, the next complaint is that only the same n-adresses are in the pool. So the next request is to let DC create its own addresses. Get me right: This would be an awesome feature, I just use this to demonstrate that this is the nature of iterative approaches and ongoing improvements.

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Kenny 20h ago

@dexternemrod @delta @[email protected] I'm not complaining about iterative development, I'm complaining about the blog post being titled "Zero metadata, ...", the Fedi post having the bullet point "- "zero metadata" messaging", the reply saying "this release goes all the way".
Those are all incorrect, and the blog post text saying "close to zero metadata" sours the great achievement by introducing the shady vibe that asterisks and tiny texts in advertising gives.
The achievement of having removed so much metadata is great on its own, and I think misrepresenting it cheapens it and leaves a bad taste.

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zivi

@kbruen @delta @dexternemrod yup, you should know better than such misleading advertising. you’ve no chance of competing with telegram there, and it’s not that you should try