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Quick Start

You can start a private AChat conversation in about 60 seconds: open the app, choose a chat ID, optionally set a password, share the URL, and talk. This page walks the happy path end to end.

1. Open AChat​

Go to achat.aoneahsan.com. You land on the home screen with no sign-up wall.

2. Choose a chat ID​

A chat ID is the address of your room. You can:

  • Generate one — AChat creates a random ID (12–15 characters) for you.
  • Type your own — 8–20 characters, lowercase letters, numbers, and hyphens (a–z, 0–9, -). Pick something hard to guess if you do not set a password, because anyone who knows the ID of an open chat can read it.

The chat lives at achat.aoneahsan.com/c/<your-chat-id>.

3. (Optional) Set a password for end-to-end encryption​

If you set a password, AChat derives an encryption key in your browser and encrypts message bodies and file metadata before they leave the device:

  • The key is derived with PBKDF2 (150,000 iterations, SHA-256) from your password and a per-chat random salt.
  • Messages and file metadata are stored as AES-GCM ciphertext; the server never receives the password or the key.
  • If you lose the password, the chat is unrecoverable — there is no reset, by design.

Share the password with the other participants over a separate, trusted channel (not inside the chat).

tip

No password is fine for casual, non-sensitive chats — just remember an open chat is readable by anyone with the ID.

Use the in-app Share button to send the chat URL via the social grid / copy-link (on the web) or the native share sheet (on Android). Only the link is shared — never your messages.

5. Talk​

  • Type in the composer; Cmd/Ctrl + Enter sends.
  • Use bold, italic, code, and links via the minimal rich-text toolbar, or type / for slash commands and : for emoji.
  • Drag in or attach files up to 10 MB each (100 MB per chat).
  • Long-press / hover a message to react, quote-reply, or open a thread.

6. Let it expire — or keep it​

By default everything auto-deletes about 10 days after it is sent. If you want a room to persist longer, sign in with Google (optional) and reserve the chat — see Keep chats & accounts.

Next steps​