Questions about Sentient

Sentient is a revolutionary new way to call and message people and organizations. Unlike traditional communication apps, Sentient does not use phone numbers, email addresses or usernames. Instead, users add contacts by scanning a temporary QR code that changes every 10 seconds or by sharing a temporary PIN which expires every 30 seconds.

Because your Sentient account is not linked to a permanent address or public identifier like a phone number, email address or username, there is nothing for scammers to search for and therefore they have no way to contact you.

Without these traditional contact details, it becomes impossible for scammers to call or message you on Sentient while you remain safely and securely connected to everyone you know and trust.

For decades, criminals have bought, stolen, scraped, phished and harvested contact information to target millions of people with fraudulent calls and messages. Many victims have lost their life savings. Artificial intelligence has made the threat far worse: scammers can now clone voices on audio calls and impersonate real people on live video calls, making fraud harder than ever to tell from the real thing.

The Signaling System No. 7 (SS7) protocol was developed in the 1970s and remains widely used in today's global telecommunications networks. It was designed to inherently trust the transmitting carriers, which creates security vulnerabilities that attackers can exploit. By taking advantage of this outdated system, attackers can track someone's location, intercept text messages, redirect telephone calls, and retrieve sensitive cellular subscriber information, potentially without the victim's knowledge.

In the 1980s, Caller ID was introduced without cryptographic authentication, so criminals can use fraudulent or poorly secured internet-calling services to make a bank, the IRS, a court or a major tech company appear on your phone’s screen when they’re calling you. Modern protections like STIR/SHAKEN have helped address caller ID spoofing, but they haven’t eliminated it, because the network still mixes legacy systems, internet-based calling, international gateways and many providers, which makes universal verification difficult.

Sentient was created to change this model. Instead of leaving its users vulnerable to AI impersonation and VoIP spoofing, Sentient puts its users on a separate network where contact from strangers is impossible and trust precedes every call and every message.

Sentient was founded on the belief that stress-free communication is a basic right and your financial assets should not be at risk whenever you pick up the phone. This is why we have made personal Sentient accounts completely free and can be downloaded here.

For businesses, organizations and government agencies, we offer tailored plans that can be customized to meet your needs. To view our current pricing, click here. To learn how Sentient can work for your organization, request a demo.

Traditional calling and messaging apps rely on permanent identifiers such as phone numbers, email addresses or usernames, which can be searched for, sold, shared or exposed through data breaches. Once someone obtains these details, they can use them to contact you without your permission.

Sentient takes a fundamentally different approach. Instead of assigning users permanent contact identifiers, Sentient allows people to add contacts who they already know and trust using temporary QR codes and PINs. Therefore, only those you explicitly give your consent to by deliberately adding them can call or message you, making communication from strangers impossible within the app.

Sentient also provides a dedicated Business Registry, where each business and organization is individually verified by Sentient to be genuine so you never have to worry about whether you’re talking to an impersonator.

While traditional apps make you reachable by anyone who finds your details, Sentient makes you reachable only by the people and organizations you trust. Trust comes before communication, not after.

Sentient is available to individuals aged 13 and older, as well as businesses, organizations and government agencies.

The word “sentient” refers to the ability to perceive, feel and experience consciousness. The name Sentient was chosen because our mission is to help people know they're communicating with real humans in an age of increasingly sophisticated AI scams and digital impersonation.

Sentience and consciousness are what distinguish human beings from artificial intelligence. While AI can imitate human voices, faces and conversations, it does not possess consciousness, self-awareness or the subjective experiences that characterize human beings.

Sentient represents our commitment to protecting authentic human communication in a world where distinguishing real people from AI-generated impersonations is becoming increasingly difficult and more important than ever.

That is why the Sentient logo features a fingerprint and a heartbeat. The fingerprint symbolizes human identity and individuality, while the heartbeat represents life and the human presence behind every connection on Sentient. Together, they reflect our belief that technology should protect the authenticity of human communication.

There are two easy ways to add a contact on Sentient.

If both people are in close proximity to each other, one person simply has to scan the QR code of the other. To access this method, go to Contacts → Add contact → QR code. By scanning the QR code, both parties become connected contacts on Sentient.

The QR code is temporary and expires in 10 seconds, after which a new one automatically generates. Therefore there is no risk of a scammer saving or taking a screenshot, posting it online like on social media or a forum and using it to impersonate a person or institution because the QR code becomes invalid when it expires.

If the two people are far away from each other such as in different cities or countries, they can add each other by sharing a pairing PIN. They can access the pairing PIN by going to Contacts → Add contact → pairing PIN. The PIN is valid for only 30 seconds, after which a new one has to be manually generated.

This method is very secure because it degrades scammers’ efforts to scale their operations. They use industrial scale automation and scripts to mass text and message thousands of people simultaneously. But to use Sentient’s pairing PIN, both parties have to be in a live conversation to share and enter the PIN within the 30 second timeframe. This therefore ends mass messaging scam campaigns before they even begin.

No. On Sentient, it is impossible to receive calls or messages from someone you have not deliberately added as a contact.

Unlike traditional calling and messaging apps, Sentient does not use phone numbers, email addresses or usernames that strangers can search for, purchase, scrape or harvest to contact you. Your account is not publicly searchable, and nobody can initiate a call, send a message or request to be added to your contacts without first completing the trusted pairing process.

This puts you in complete control of who can communicate with you on Sentient. Whether you're at home, at work or traveling abroad, you can stay connected with the people you know and trust without being interrupted by unwanted calls or messages from strangers.

Sentient is designed to provide a safe and trusted communication environment, but we understand that inappropriate, abusive or unwanted behavior can sometimes occur, even between people who know each other.

If someone shares inappropriate content, harasses you or engages in abusive behavior, Sentient provides three important safety controls:

• Remove Contact: Remove someone from your trusted contacts to end your connection and prevent further communication.
• Block: Block a user to prevent them from calling or messaging you on Sentient.
• Report: Report inappropriate content, harassment, threats or other violations of Sentient's policies for review by our team.

These controls allow you to decide who remains in your trusted network and take action against anyone who abuses your trust. Sentient is committed to creating a communication environment where users feel safe, respected and in control.

The Business Registry is one of the most important features in the Sentient ecosystem. Many financial scams occur when criminals impersonate trusted institutions such as banks, credit unions, financial institutions, the IRS, law enforcement, courts, major technology companies like Amazon, Microsoft and Google, and even recruitment agencies. The Business Registry was created to address this problem.

Businesses, organizations and government agencies seeking a verified presence in the Business Registry must undergo an identity verification process. Sentient conducts a thorough vetting process to establish that an organization is legitimate and that its representatives are authorized to act on its behalf. Only organizations that successfully complete this verification process receive a verified presence on the Business Registry.

This allows users to distinguish verified institutions from impersonators and communicate with peace of mind, knowing that all the organizations in the Business Registry were thoroughly vetted to establish that the organization is genuinely who it claims to be.

To find the list of verified organizations in the Business Registry, go to Contacts → Organizations. From there, you can call or message any organization in the list, or even request a callback. You can also add an organization to your contacts for quicker and easier access, so you don't have to search through the list each time.

Sentient is continuously working to expand the Business Registry so that users can safely connect with more of the businesses, organizations and government agencies they rely on.

If an organization you would like to communicate with is not yet listed, you can bring it to our attention by going to Contacts → Organizations and selecting "Request a business".

Please use the form to tell us which organizations you would like to see added to the Sentient Business Registry.

Sentient takes the verification of businesses, organizations and government agencies very seriously. Before granting an organization verified status in the Business Registry, we conduct a thorough vetting process to establish that the organization is legitimate and that the people registering the account are authorized to represent it.

Our verification process includes examining official business registrations, government records, corporate websites, domain ownership and other publicly available or independently verifiable information. Where necessary, we may request additional documentation such as certificates of incorporation, trade licenses, or articles of association.

We also verify that the individuals responsible for managing the organization's Sentient account are authorized to act on its behalf. This helps prevent scammers from creating accounts that impersonate established institutions, even when they know the institution's name, address or other publicly available details.

Only organizations that successfully complete our verification process receive verified status in the Business Registry, helping users communicate with greater confidence that they are dealing with the genuine institution rather than an impersonator.

Sentient makes it easy to distinguish between personal accounts and business accounts, helping protect users from criminals impersonating legitimate institutions.

When you communicate with an organization, Sentient displays its verified business identity, allowing you to confirm that you're communicating through the organization's official Sentient account rather than a personal account that has not undergone Sentient’s thorough vetting process.

Personal accounts are clearly identified as “Personal Account” during calls. Therefore, if someone claims to represent a bank, government agency or another institution but contacts you through a personal account, you can immediately recognize that they are not communicating through that institution's verified Sentient account.

For additional peace of mind, you can always visit the Business Registry and initiate communication directly with the organization's verified account. This allows you to independently confirm that you're using the institution's official communication channel rather than trusting an unverified claim of identity.

You can sign up for a Sentient Business account here and get a 14-day free trial.

If you're still deciding and would like to learn more about how Sentient can work for you and your organization, you can request a demo.

Sentient offers flexible pricing plans tailored to businesses and organizations of different sizes. Please visit our Pricing section to explore our plans and view the latest pricing information.

Yes. Sentient uses end-to-end encryption (E2EE) technologies to protect your private calls and messages, including advanced post-quantum cryptography designed to strengthen security against future threats.

Your messages are encrypted on your device before transmission and decrypted on authorized recipients' devices. Voice calls use encrypted WebRTC connections, with an additional authenticated end-to-end encryption layer when successfully established.

Sentient's servers transmit and store encrypted message content, while call relay servers forward encrypted audio without accessing your conversations.

Additionally, information you voluntarily submit in an abuse report may be reviewed by Sentient's moderation team, and business communications may be accessible to authorized organizational representatives.

These protections help safeguard your conversations against unauthorized access while providing greater privacy and security than traditional unencrypted communication methods.

No. Sentient uses end-to-end encryption (E2EE) technologies to protect your messages, which are encrypted on your device before being transmitted. Our messaging infrastructure stores and processes encrypted content rather than readable messages.

However, if you report a conversation for inappropriate behavior, harassment, fraud or other violations, the relevant messages may be decrypted on your device and securely submitted to Sentient's moderation team for review. This allows us to investigate complaints and take appropriate action against accounts that violate our policies and put the safety of our users at risk. Our goal is to protect your privacy while maintaining the ability to investigate abuse when users voluntarily submit reports.

Scammers often use emulators, which are software programs that simulate smartphones on computers, to create and operate thousands of fraudulent accounts without needing thousands of physical devices. This allows them to launch large-scale scam operations at very little cost.

Sentient uses device and app attestation to help prevent its app from operating in emulated or tampered environments. These security measures are designed to verify that the app is running on a legitimate device and has not been modified or compromised.

By restricting access from emulators, Sentient forces scammers attempting to scale their operations to rely on physical devices rather than generating thousands of virtual phones on a single computer. This significantly increases the hardware costs and logistical challenges of operating large networks of fraudulent accounts.

Combined with Sentient's identity verification requirements, these protections make it substantially more difficult and expensive for criminals to create and operate fake accounts at scale.

Device and app attestation are security technologies that help Sentient verify that its app is running on a genuine mobile device and that the application itself has not been modified, tampered with or replaced by an unauthorized version.

Device attestation checks the integrity of the device and its operating environment, helping identify emulators, compromised devices and other potentially unsafe environments. App attestation verifies that the application communicating with Sentient's servers is an authentic version of Sentient rather than a modified or counterfeit application.

These protections help prevent criminals from using automated software, emulators or modified applications to create fraudulent accounts, bypass security controls or carry out large-scale scam operations.

By combining device and app attestation with identity verification, Sentient makes it more difficult for scammers to exploit its platform while helping protect the integrity of the devices and applications used to communicate with your trusted contacts.

Sentient uses platform-specific security technologies developed by Apple and Google to help verify the authenticity of the application and the integrity of the device running it.

On iPhones, Sentient uses Apple's App Attest, which allows the application to establish cryptographic proof that requests originate from a legitimate instance of the app. This helps protect against counterfeit applications, automated abuse and unauthorized attempts to impersonate Sentient's application.

On Android devices, Sentient uses Google's Play Integrity API, which provides security signals about the authenticity of the application and the integrity of the device. These signals help Sentient identify potentially compromised environments, modified applications and emulators commonly used in automated scam operations.

Sentient's servers evaluate these security signals to help determine whether the application and device meet its security requirements. By using Apple's and Google's native security technologies, Sentient adds another layer of protection against fraudulent accounts and large-scale automated abuse.

Sentient does not sell your personal information to advertisers, data brokers or other third parties. Protecting your privacy is a fundamental part of our commitment to providing a secure and trustworthy communication platform.

We do not share your personal information with third parties for their own advertising or marketing purposes. However, certain information may be shared with trusted service providers when necessary to operate Sentient, including identity verification, infrastructure hosting, payment processing and security services.

These service providers are permitted to process information only for authorized purposes related to delivering and maintaining Sentient's services, subject to applicable privacy and security requirements.

For more information about how we collect, use, store and protect your personal information, please review our Privacy Policy.

Post-quantum cryptography (PQC) refers to advanced encryption and security technologies designed to withstand attacks from powerful quantum computers. Unlike many traditional public-key cryptographic systems, which could eventually become vulnerable to quantum computing, post-quantum algorithms are designed around mathematical problems that are believed to remain difficult for both classical and quantum computers to solve.

Quantum computers have the potential to revolutionize scientific research, medicine and technology. However, sufficiently powerful quantum computers could also threaten some of the encryption technologies that protect online banking, private communications, financial transactions and sensitive personal information.

This is why post-quantum cryptography matters today. Even though quantum computers capable of breaking widely used public-key encryption are not yet publicly known to exist, preparing for these threats before they emerge is essential.

Sentient incorporates post-quantum cryptography into its communication security architecture to help protect users against both present-day threats and future advances in quantum computing.

Much of today's digital security relies on cryptographic algorithms such as RSA and elliptic-curve cryptography (ECC). These technologies protect sensitive information by relying on mathematical problems that are extremely difficult for conventional computers to solve.

However, sufficiently powerful quantum computers could use specialized algorithms, such as Shor's algorithm, to solve certain mathematical problems much more efficiently. This could undermine the security of RSA and elliptic-curve cryptography, which are widely used for secure key exchange, digital signatures and authentication.

If these technologies become vulnerable, criminals and other malicious actors could potentially compromise communication systems that continue to depend on them.

Post-quantum cryptography addresses this emerging threat by using mathematical problems believed to resist attacks from both conventional and quantum computers. Sentient incorporates these technologies to strengthen the long-term security of its communication platform.

A "harvest now, decrypt later" attack occurs when an attacker intercepts and stores encrypted communications today with the intention of decrypting them in the future, when more powerful computing technologies become available.

Even if an attacker cannot read encrypted information today, they may preserve it for years, hoping that advances in quantum computing will eventually allow them to break the cryptographic systems used to protect it. This is particularly concerning for sensitive personal information, financial communications and confidential records that may need to remain private for decades.

Sentient addresses this threat by incorporating post-quantum cryptography, including ML-KEM-768, into its messaging encryption architecture. ML-KEM-768 helps establish encryption secrets using mathematical problems believed to remain resistant to attacks from future quantum computers.

By combining post-quantum cryptography with conventional cryptographic protections, Sentient helps reduce the risk that encrypted communications intercepted today could be decrypted using future advances in quantum computing.

Sentient incorporates multiple cryptographic technologies into its communication security architecture, including ML-KEM-768, X25519, HKDF-SHA-256 and XChaCha20-Poly1305.

ML-KEM-768 is a post-quantum key encapsulation mechanism designed to help establish shared encryption secrets that remain secure against known classical and quantum attacks.

X25519 is a widely used conventional elliptic-curve key agreement algorithm. Sentient combines it with ML-KEM-768 to provide hybrid key establishment, benefiting from both traditional and post-quantum cryptography.

HKDF-SHA-256 derives encryption keys from the shared secrets established through these mechanisms, while XChaCha20-Poly1305 protects message contents against unauthorized reading and tampering.

For business messaging and enhanced call authentication, Sentient also uses digital signature algorithms, including Ed25519 and the post-quantum signature algorithm ML-DSA-65.

Together, these technologies form a layered cryptographic architecture designed to protect communications against current threats while preparing for advances in quantum computing.

ML-KEM-768 stands for Module-Lattice-Based Key Encapsulation Mechanism. It is a post-quantum cryptographic algorithm standardized by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) as part of its efforts to protect digital communications against future quantum computing threats.

ML-KEM-768 allows communicating devices to establish a shared secret that can be used to derive encryption keys without transmitting that secret directly across the network.

Unlike RSA and traditional elliptic-curve key establishment, ML-KEM-768 relies on mathematical problems involving structured lattices that are believed to resist attacks from sufficiently powerful quantum computers.

Sentient uses ML-KEM-768 alongside conventional X25519 key agreement in its messaging system. By combining secrets from both mechanisms, Sentient creates a hybrid encryption approach designed to remain protective even if one of the underlying key-establishment technologies becomes vulnerable.

ML-KEM-768 does not encrypt the actual message contents by itself. Instead, it helps securely establish the keys used by encryption algorithms that protect those messages.

Sentient uses a hybrid cryptographic approach that combines established conventional security technologies with newer post-quantum algorithms.

When encrypting messages, Sentient uses X25519, a conventional key agreement algorithm, together with ML-KEM-768, a post-quantum key encapsulation mechanism. The shared secrets produced by these technologies are combined through a cryptographic key derivation process to generate the encryption keys used to protect message contents.

This approach provides two complementary layers of protection. Conventional cryptography has undergone extensive real-world deployment and security analysis, while post-quantum cryptography is designed to address potential vulnerabilities introduced by sufficiently powerful quantum computers.

Sentient then uses authenticated encryption to protect the confidentiality and integrity of the message, helping prevent unauthorized parties from reading or modifying its contents.

By combining both approaches, Sentient strengthens its communication security without relying exclusively on a single category of cryptographic technology.

Yes. Sentient is designed to strengthen the long-term security of its communications by incorporating post-quantum cryptography into its encryption architecture.

For text messaging, Sentient combines ML-KEM-768 with conventional X25519 key agreement to establish encryption secrets. This hybrid approach is designed to protect message confidentiality against both conventional computing threats and future attacks involving sufficiently powerful quantum computers.

Voice calls use encrypted WebRTC connections. Sentient also supports an additional authenticated encryption layer that incorporates post-quantum cryptography when the enhanced security handshake is successfully established. If this additional layer is unavailable, calls may continue using standard WebRTC encryption.

Sentient's approach is to incorporate modern cryptographic protections and continue strengthening its security architecture as cryptographic research and industry standards evolve.

Yes. Sentient incorporates post-quantum cryptographic algorithms standardized by the U.S. National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), one of the world's leading authorities on cryptographic standards.

In August 2024, NIST finalized its first major post-quantum cryptography standards, establishing algorithms designed to protect digital systems against future threats from quantum computing.

Sentient uses ML-KEM-768, which belongs to the ML-KEM family standardized under FIPS 203, for post-quantum key establishment. Its business messaging and enhanced call authentication systems also incorporate ML-DSA-65, a post-quantum digital signature algorithm belonging to the ML-DSA family standardized under FIPS 204.

These algorithms were selected through years of international research, public evaluation and cryptographic analysis involving researchers and security experts from around the world.

By incorporating internationally standardized post-quantum algorithms, Sentient aligns important parts of its security architecture with established cryptographic standards while preparing for future advances in quantum computing.

Sentient is available for iPhones and iPads running iOS 16 or later, and compatible Android devices running Android 7.0 or later.

You can download Sentient from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Your device must meet Sentient's operating system and security requirements to ensure the application functions properly and your communications remain protected.

For the best experience, we recommend keeping your device's operating system updated and installing the latest available version of Sentient.

Yes. Sentient allows you to use your account on multiple trusted devices without creating separate accounts.

To add a new device, install Sentient, select Sign In, and enter your 10-word recovery phrase and 6-digit recovery PIN. Once your credentials are verified, the new device is added to your existing Sentient account without requiring approval from another device.

Your existing trusted devices remain authorized, allowing you to access your account from multiple devices.

You can view and manage your devices by navigating to Settings → Trusted devices, where you can designate a primary device or revoke access to devices you no longer use.

If you lose your phone, replace it or upgrade to a new device, you don't need to create another Sentient account.

Simply install Sentient on your new device, select Sign In, and enter your 10-word recovery phrase and 6-digit recovery PIN. Sentient will verify your credentials and restore access to your existing account without requiring your previous device.

Your contacts and account-associated information will be restored, while access to historical encrypted messages depends on your device's recovery capabilities and the availability of the necessary encryption keys.

If your previous device was lost or stolen, go to Settings → Trusted devices after recovering your account and revoke access to the missing device. This prevents it from remaining an authorized device on your account.

Sentient allows you to recover your existing account using the recovery PIN and recovery phrase you received during account setup.

Install Sentient on another compatible device and select Sign In. Enter your 10-word recovery phrase in its original order, followed by your 6-digit recovery PIN. Once these credentials are verified, Sentient will authorize the new device and restore access to your existing account.

You do not need access to your original device, approval from another trusted device, or additional identity verification to complete this process.

Your recovery PIN and recovery phrase are essential for accessing your account. Keep them somewhere safe and never share them with anyone, including someone claiming to represent Sentient.

Your Sentient contacts, saved organizations and call history are associated with your account rather than a particular device. When you sign in on a new device using your recovery PIN and recovery phrase, this information should automatically reappear without requiring you to add your contacts again.

Encrypted message recovery depends on your operating system and whether you're reinstalling Sentient on the same device or switching to another device.

For iPhone and iPad users: If you delete Sentient and reinstall it on the same device, your encrypted messages can be automatically restored using encryption credentials retained by Apple's Keychain, as supported by Sentient's existing recovery behavior. However, switching to a completely different iPhone or moving from iOS to Android does not currently guarantee recovery of your previous encrypted messages.

For Android users: To help preserve access to encrypted messages when changing devices, make sure Google Backup is enabled before switching phones. Go to:

Settings → Google → All services → Backup

Enable backup and allow it to complete. Sentient uses Google's backup services to help preserve the encrypted recovery information needed to access historical messages on another Android device. Simply enabling backup does not guarantee that the required information has been successfully backed up.

Android users may also be able to restore encrypted messages using a separately saved Sentient message-recovery key.

Your contacts and call history are generally recoverable across supported devices, but historical encrypted messages require access to the corresponding encryption keys.

You can permanently delete your Sentient account directly through the application.

Go to Settings → Account → Delete account, confirm the deletion warning, and enter your 6-digit recovery PIN to authorize the request.

Once confirmed, your account is immediately deactivated and scheduled for permanent deletion after 30 days. If you change your mind during this period, you can cancel the deletion by signing in again using your recovery phrase and recovery PIN.

After the 30-day period, your account is permanently deleted and cannot be recovered using your previous credentials. Sentient deletes or anonymizes associated personal information in accordance with its data retention obligations.

Please note that uninstalling Sentient from your device does not delete your account.

Yes. Sentient allows you to request deletion of your entire account or specific personal information directly through our website, even if you no longer have access to the application.

To request deletion of your entire account, please visit our Account Deletion page.

If you would like to delete specific personal information without closing your account, please visit our Data Deletion page.

You can verify your account ownership using your recovery PIN and recovery phrase. If you no longer have these credentials, you can request manual verification by providing information associated with your account.

Once submitted, your request will be reviewed by Sentient. For account deletion requests submitted through the website, the 30-day deletion period begins after your request has been verified and approved for processing.

When you delete your Sentient account through the app, it is immediately deactivated and scheduled for permanent deletion after 30 days. During this period, you can cancel the deletion by signing in again with your recovery phrase and recovery PIN.

After the 30-day period, Sentient removes your recovery credentials, trusted-device registrations, encryption keys, contact relationships and other account-associated information. Your profile is then removed. Where another person's call history or a required safety record still refers to your account, it keeps only a random identifier and shows the account as “Deleted Account”.

Certain information may be retained when necessary to comply with legal obligations, investigate reports of abuse, prevent fraud, enforce account restrictions or preserve information associated with another user's communications.

Messages and attachments that have already been delivered to another person's device may also remain on that device, as Sentient cannot remotely erase information from another user's device.

For more information about how your personal information is handled and retained, please review our Privacy Policy.