element-hq /
element-ios
Element iOS is an end-to-end encrypted messaging application built on the Matrix protocol, supporting secure chat rooms, voice, and video calls.
Overview
Element is the flagship mobile client for the Matrix protocol, providing decentralized, end-to-end encrypted messaging for iOS. By relying on Matrix's open federated network, Element allows users to host their own home servers while communicating seamlessly with users on separate nodes. It supports group chats, file transfers, push notifications, and high-quality voice/video calls secured by Megolm encryption primitives.
Its user interface is clean, matching modern messaging expectations while providing advanced cryptographic verification features (such as emoji-based cross-signing). The primary trade-off is that because Matrix is a federated and chat-history-synchronized protocol, Element can feel slower to sync and initialize compared to centralized apps like Telegram, especially on larger, public rooms. However, for organizations and individuals seeking secure, self-hostable, and decentralized communications, Element iOS is a stellar mobile solution.
Key topics
- element-ios
- matrix-protocol
- secure-chat
- decentralized-communication
- swift-app
Getting started
Installation steps vary depending on how a project is packaged, so the most reliable source is always the official README. As a starting point:
How it compares
Here is how this project sits alongside a few other tools in the same category:
Questions about this project
- What is element-ios?
- Element is the flagship mobile client for the Matrix protocol, providing decentralized, end-to-end encrypted messaging for iOS. By relying on Matrix's open federated network, Element allows users to host their own home servers while communicating seamlessly with users on separate nodes. It supports group chats, file transfers, push notifications, and high-quality voice/video calls secured by Megolm encryption primitives.
- What license does element-ios use?
- Apache-2.0
- How popular is element-ios on GitHub?
- element-ios has roughly 4.5k stars and 1.1k forks on GitHub as of the latest data.
- Is element-ios actively maintained?
- This repository has been updated recently, which is generally a good sign of active maintenance.
- What language is element-ios written in?
- element-ios is written primarily in Swift.
Repository info
| Owner | element-hq |
|---|---|
| Primary language | Swift |
| License | Apache-2.0 |
| Created | July 16, 2026 |
| Last updated | July 16, 2026 |