Can't Decrypt Message – Why Is This Happening?

Understanding NikahOne End-to-End Encryption and how to protect your messages

If you are seeing:

"Can't decrypt message"

It means your device does not have your original private encryption key required to read that message.

NikahOne uses End-to-End Encryption (E2EE). Every message is encrypted before it leaves the sender's device, and only the recipient's private key can decrypt it.

If your private key is missing, the message cannot be opened.

Why Your Private Key May Be Missing

You may see this message if:

  • You logged out of the app
  • You deleted and reinstalled the app
  • You changed your phone
  • You cleared app data
  • You are logging in on a new device
  • You never created a backup

When any of the above happens, your private key may no longer exist on your device. Without that key, encrypted messages cannot be read.

Why NikahOne Cannot Recover Your Messages

Because we use End-to-End Encryption:

  • Your private key is generated on your device
  • We do NOT store your private key
  • We cannot see your chats
  • We cannot regenerate your key
  • We cannot reset your backup password

If your private key is lost and no backup exists:

  • Messages are permanently unreadable
  • Recovery is technically impossible
  • Even NikahOne support cannot help

This is how we guarantee complete privacy.

How To Prevent This (Create Backup)

To avoid losing access to your encrypted chats, you must create a secure backup.

Steps to Create Backup

  1. 1Open NikahOne App
  2. 2Go to Settings
  3. 3Tap Backup & Restore
  4. 4Click Create Backup
  5. 5Enter a Backup Password
  6. 6Confirm the same password again
  7. 7Tick the checkbox: "I understand that if I lose this password, I cannot recover it and I will store it safely."
  8. 8Tap Create Backup

Your private key will now be encrypted with your password and securely stored.

Important About Backup Password

  • This password protects your private key
  • NikahOne does NOT know this password
  • We cannot reset or recover it
  • If you forget it, your backup becomes useless

Store your password safely. There is no way to recover it.

Using Your Account on Another Device

If you want to access your chats on a new device, follow these steps:

1

Step 1 – Old Device

You must first create a backup using the steps above before switching devices.

Settings → Backup & Restore → Create Backup
2

Step 2 – New Device

  • Install NikahOne
  • Log in
  • Settings → Backup & Restore
  • Click Restore Backup
  • Enter your backup password

If You Logout or Delete the App on Same Phone

If you logout or uninstall the app, your private key will be removed from your device.

To see your chats again, you must restore your backup after login.

If you did NOT create a backup before logout or deletion, your chats will be permanently lost.

Changing Backup Password

Currently, there is no direct "Change Password" option. If you want to use a new password:

  1. 1Go to Settings → Backup & Restore
  2. 2Delete existing backup
  3. 3Create a new backup
  4. 4Enter new password
  5. 5Confirm password
  6. 6Tick confirmation checkbox
  7. 7Create backup

Deleting old backup removes the previous encrypted backup permanently.

Our Security Model

NikahOne uses:

  • RSA 2048-bit encryption
  • AES-256 encryption for messages
  • Secure key generation on your device
  • Password-protected encrypted backup

This ensures:

  • Only you and the recipient can read messages
  • No third party can access chats
  • Even NikahOne cannot see your conversations

Final Reminder

Always create a backup before:

  • Changing phone
  • Logging out
  • Deleting app
  • Resetting device

Your privacy is protected by design — but your backup password is your responsibility.

Still need help with encryption or your backup?