Guide · Privacy
Photos that do not outlive the moment
The worst thing that can happen to a private photo is that it keeps existing. MuteMate is built so that pictures you share are hard to keep, hard to copy and gone when they have done their job.
View-once photos in chat
Any photo or GIF you send in a MuteMate chat arrives blurred with a “Tap to view” label. When the other person taps it, it shows for about ten seconds and then disappears for both of you, leaving a “Photo expired” note in the conversation.
The countdown is kept by our servers, not by the phone. Backing out of the chat, switching apps or closing MuteMate does not pause it, and coming back later does not show the photo again.
Your own copy stays with you
Photos you send are saved to your own Saved Media gallery, which holds your ten most recent. Only you can see it. You can send one of those photos again — it goes out as a new view-once photo — or delete it.
Photos you receive are never saved to a gallery by the app.
Screenshot and screen-recording blocking
On Android, MuteMate tells the operating system to refuse screenshots and screen recordings anywhere in the app — chats, profiles and photos included. A screenshot attempt fails with a message from Android, a screen recording comes out black, and the app’s preview in your recent-apps list is blanked.
Apple does not give apps a way to block screenshots on iPhone, so this protection is Android-only. MuteMate is launching on Android.
Blurred profile photos
Profile photos on MuteMate are shown blurred until the viewer taps to see them, and they blur again once they move on. Someone glancing at a phone over a shoulder sees nothing identifying.
When a photo is reported
If someone reports a photo they received, a copy is kept privately for our moderators so the report can be investigated, for up to 180 days. It is never shown to other members. This is the one exception to view-once, and it exists to protect people from abuse.
What no app can prevent
Send photos you would be comfortable losing control of, and wait until you trust someone.
- Someone photographing their screen with a second phone.
- Phones that have been modified (rooted) to remove system protections.
- On iPhone, screenshots — Apple provides no way to block them.
Questions people ask
Can someone screenshot my photos on MuteMate?
On Android, no — the operating system blocks screenshots and screen recording throughout the app. No app can stop someone photographing a screen with another device, and iPhones do not allow screenshot blocking.
How long does a view-once photo last?
About ten seconds after the other person opens it. After that it is gone for both of you.
Can I get a sent photo back after it expires?
The other person cannot. You keep a private copy in your Saved Media gallery and can send it again as a new view-once photo.
Does MuteMate save photos I receive?
No. Received photos are never saved to a gallery. A copy is kept for moderators only if you report the photo.