Is encryption enabled by default on text on all the SpecFive devices? Obviously using Licensed mode would disable this, and I don't see any advantage to using licensed mode anyway.
Also, it's become apparent that when using an iPhone, disabling cellular data absolutelly does not, and people need to know that they can still be tracked.
Thanks
Never mind, I figured out how to set it up.
Yes, meshtastic exchanges keys by default and 1:1 device comms are encrypted. You will see the key icon in the UI to indicate this.
On your second point, cellular tracking is at ridiculous levels. Everything from colocating other IMEIs by getting lists of users connected to the same tower, to data mining records. You can assume there is effectively no privacy.
Thank you.. Does this mean my primary channel should remain as the default, and use a secondary encrypted channel as needed? Because I currently changed the primary to encrypted, and replicated those settings to my devices, not realizing that device to device direct was indeed encrypted.
I believe since version 2.5.0, Meshtastic has used encryption for DMs, where each node generates a unique public/private key pair at first boot. DMs are encrypted with the recipient’s public key. This happens automatically for 1:1 communications, and you’d see a key icon in the UI to confirm it, as I mentioned earlier.
For channel-based messaging (like group texts), the default primary channel "LongFast" uses a pre-shared, publicly known key. This is technically encrypted, but because the key is widely available in the source code, it’s not secure. To make channel communication truly private, you’d need to change this PSK to a custom key. However, leaving it as the default might make sense if you’re using it for broader group communication, since changing it to encrypted could limit compatibility with others who haven’t replicated settings.
For secure groups you can share a key with the individuals you want in the group.
