Help and support

Support · Account and data · Email · Sign in · Several chats · Encryption · Disappearing · Kill switch · Privacy · Create · Stickers · Background · Large files · Hive Cloud · Plans and credits · Invite friends · Calls · Age · Reporting

Hive is a messenger by Typhora Group LLC. Here you find help, the way to delete your account and the form for reporting content.

Support

Questions, problems or ideas: write to us at hey@typhora.group. In the app you can also use “Send feedback” under “Me”.

You can cancel a subscription or withdraw from a purchase without signing in: Cancel contracts here and Withdraw from a contract.

If you buy credits or “Without the Hive mark” one-time in the browser, Hive first asks “Before you pay”. With the checkbox you agree that Hive adds the credits or unlocks the feature right after payment; your right of withdrawal towards Hive then ends for that purchase. Without the checkbox you can’t go to checkout. Hive doesn’t ask this for subscriptions. Link’s own right of withdrawal remains (terms, section 8).

If you buy in the iPhone or Android app through Apple or Google Play, you cancel a subscription and withdraw from a purchase with the store (terms, section 7 and section 8). You cancel a subscription in the app with “Manage subscription” at the bottom of the “Plans & credits” page (under “Me”, or tap your credits at the top of the chat list), on iPhone also in Settings under your name and “Subscriptions”, on Android in the Play Store under “Payments & subscriptions”. We cannot end a subscription through Apple for you, and deleting the app does not cancel a subscription.

Delete your account

You delete your Hive account yourself in the app:

Open Hive, in the app or in the browser at https://hive.henny.info/app, and sign in.
Tap “Me” at the bottom (on a computer, in the bar on the left).
Tap “Delete account” at the very bottom.
Choose “Delete only my account” or “Delete everything” and tap “Delete permanently”.

Without the app, you can write to hey@typhora.group.

What “Delete only my account” and “Delete everything” remove, what remains and for how long is set out in the privacy policy, section 15. It also explains what happens to running subscriptions and to credits.

Delete individual data

You can delete individual data yourself in the app without deleting your account. In the apps, until the next update, “Partner & Chat Settings” are still called “Chat settings” and open with the gear at the top of the chat. “Delete chat for both”, “Later” and the kill switch only come to the apps with the next update; until then, use the browser.

One of your own messages: press and hold it (on a computer, click it), tap “Delete message” in the menu, then “Delete”. It is deleted with its attachment for everyone in the chat and on our server, in Hives and encrypted chats too.
All your messages in a one-to-one chat: in the chat, tap the person’s name at the top (“Partner & Chat Settings”), under “Delete” tap “Delete all my messages”, then “Delete all”. This deletes your messages in this chat with their attachments, for both of you and on our server. The other person’s messages stay, and so do notices that you used AI on other people’s messages.
Remove a chat only for you: in “Partner & Chat Settings” under “Delete”, tap “Delete chat for me” and “Delete for me”. For several chats and for Hives, tap “Select” in the chat list, choose the chats, tap “Delete for me” and confirm. The history disappears on all your devices but is not deleted: the others keep everything. If a one-to-one chat should be emptied for both of you, use “Delete chat for both” (next item) or suggest a time under “Self-destruct” (see Disappearing messages and self-destruct). To delete a single chat just for you or for both of you, use “Delete chat” (see Several chats with one person). If the kill switch applies in the chat, “Delete chat for me” leads to “Delete chat for both”.
Empty a one-to-one chat for both of you: in “Partner & Chat Settings” under “Delete”, tap “Delete chat for both” and “Delete and ask”. Your messages are then gone for both of you right away, and the chat is empty on your side. The other person gets a notification and sees the question “I'm deleting mine, will you delete yours too?” at the top of the chat, with “Delete mine too”, “Decline” and “Later”. If they agree, everything up to your question is gone for both of you; anything written after that stays. If they decline, they keep their messages. The chat and the contact stay either way. If the kill switch applies, the whole chat is gone for both of you right away, without asking (see Kill switch).
AI images and AI videos: in a chat, tap the honeycomb to the right of the text field (“Create”), then in “Create with AI” under “Your images” (“Image” tab) or “Your videos” (“Video” tab) tap the trash icon. The image or video is deleted right away from your gallery and from our server. Failed videos appear there too, with their description, and can be deleted the same way. Anything you already sent to a chat stays there until you delete that message.
Uploads in Hive Cloud: tap “Delete” in the file’s menu. It then stays in the trash for 30 days, where you can also delete it for good right away; more under Hive Cloud.
Recent descriptions: the app keeps your recent image and video descriptions only on the device. In “Create with AI”, tap “Clear history” at the end of the “History:” row (on a phone, swipe the row sideways).
Profile picture: tap “Me” and your profile at the top, then “Remove profile picture”. It is deleted from our server and disappears for others too.
Saved summaries: they are kept only on the device where you created them, not on our server. You delete them in “Partner & Chat Settings” under “AI”, in “Saved summaries”, with the trash icon (“Delete summary”).
AI consent: under “Me”, tap “AI features”, then “Withdraw” and confirm. From then on Hive sends nothing to AI providers for you, and every AI feature asks you again. This does not call back anything a provider already has, and others in your chats can still use AI on your messages, in end-to-end encrypted chats for translating, reading aloud and summarising.
The other person’s messages: you cannot delete them without their consent. In a one-to-one chat you can ask them to, with “Request deletion” in the menu of their message, with the checkbox when you delete all your messages, or with “Delete chat for both”; they decide. They get a notification about it, you get one for their answer, and both appear as entries in the chat. If you’re the one being asked, you can push the request aside for now with “Later”: it stays open, and its entry in the chat then shows “Reply”. If you have both agreed to the kill switch, you delete their messages for both of you right away, without asking (see Kill switch).

Copies that others have forwarded, downloaded or exported, and summaries they saved on their device, are not affected. We keep reported content as a copy for up to one year, and deleted data can remain in our database’s recovery history for up to 30 days (privacy policy, section 10). To delete your whole account, see Delete your account above; what is deleted and what remains is set out in the privacy policy, section 15.

Change your email address

Tap “Me” and your profile at the top, then tap “Change email address” below your name and username.
Enter the new address under “New email address” and tap “Request codes”. We send a six-digit code to the new address and another one to your current address. Both are valid for 15 minutes.
Enter both codes (“Code sent to the new address” and “Code sent to your current address”) and tap “Confirm”.

What stays the same: your account, name, username, chats, purchases and credits stay, and you stay signed in on your devices. After the change you can sign in with the new address or with your username (see Sign in), but no longer with the old one: if you sign in with it, that creates a new, empty account.
Emails: after the change, your previous address gets a message about it, and that message shows the new address only in part. If you have bought on the web before, receipts, invoices and purchase confirmations for purchases on the web still go to your previous address, for later purchases too: we do not change the address at Stripe. A newsletter subscription also stays with your previous address.
Limits: you have 5 attempts for both codes together, and you can request codes at most 5 times per hour, and at most 10 times a day for the same new address. If you use “Request new codes”, only the newest codes work. If the new address already belongs to another Hive account, you only find out when you confirm (“This address already belongs to another Hive account.”). Your address then stays as it is, and the codes are used up. If it is a second account of your own, for example because you once signed in with the new address, delete it first (see Delete your account) and then request new codes.
If it doesn’t work: write to hey@typhora.group if you can no longer get into your previous address, or if Hive says the address of your account can’t be changed here. If you get a code you did not request, don’t share it with anyone, tap “Sign out on all other devices” under “Me” in Hive (sign in first if you need to) and reply to the email.
Cancelling and withdrawing: the pages Cancel contracts here and Withdraw from a contract also find your account by a previous address. The confirmation with all the details then also goes to your account’s current address. The previous address gets the confirmation of receipt with what you entered, but there and on the page you only see a general sentence instead of the details of your contract. If you withdraw this way, we review it by hand before we end a subscription on the web.

What we store when you change it is set out in the privacy policy, section 3.

Hive signs you in without a password: you enter your email address and we send you a 6-digit code that is valid for 15 minutes. What’s described here already works in the browser and on our website. In the apps it comes with one of the next updates.

With your username: when signing in, tap “Already have an account? Sign in with your username” and enter your username, with or without the @. We send the code to your account’s email address. This doesn’t create a new account; “Sign in or sign up with email” takes you back. You can see and change your username under “Me” and “Account and profile”. If no code arrives, check the spelling: we send nothing for a username that doesn’t exist.
With a backup email: under “Me” and “Account and profile”, tap “Add backup email”, enter a second address and confirm it with the code we send there. Your first address gets a notice. After that you can sign in with the backup email just like with the first one: enter it in the email field and the code goes to it. No one else can see it, and it can’t belong to another Hive account. You can remove it at any time with “Remove backup email”.
Turn on two-factor: under “Me”, tap “Privacy and security” and, at the top under “Two-factor sign-in”, tap “Set up”. Scan the QR code with an authenticator app such as Google Authenticator, 1Password or Authy. If the authenticator app is on the same phone, tap “Copy key” instead and paste it there. Enter the 6-digit code the app shows and tap “Turn on”. From then on, every new sign-in asks for the code from your authenticator app after the email code. Where you’re already signed in, you stay signed in.
Backup codes: after you turn it on, Hive shows you ten backup codes once. Save them with “Copy” or “Save as file”, for example in your password manager, because Hive only shows them this one time. Each backup code signs you in once if you don’t have your phone. “Backup codes” shows how many are left. With “New backup codes” and a code from your authenticator app you get ten new ones; the old ones stop working.
Signing in with two-factor: after the email code comes the “Two-factor sign-in” step. Enter the code from your authenticator app or a backup code and tap “Sign in”. You have 10 minutes and 5 attempts; after that, request a new code by email. Each code works only once. If a code from the app doesn’t match, check that your phone’s clock is right.
Turn off: under “Two-factor sign-in”, tap “Turn off” and enter a code from your authenticator app or a backup code. Your backup codes then stop working.
In the apps: the apps only know the second step after one of the next updates. If you’ve turned on two-factor, until then sign in again in the browser at https://hive.henny.info/app, not in the apps. Where you’re already signed in to an app, you stay signed in, so don’t sign out there.
No phone and no backup code: write to hey@typhora.group.

Several chats with one person

You can keep several chats with the same person side by side, for example for work, travel and private life. Each one has its own title and history. In the chat list, they are grouped under the person.

Create one: tap the person in the chat list. Enter a title in the “New chat: title …” field at the bottom and tap the arrow next to it (on a computer, Enter works too). Under “What kind of chat?”, choose “Private” or “With AI”. The other person sees the title too.
Private and With AI: every new contact has two chats from the start. The first, “Private”, is end-to-end encrypted: only the two of you can read it, not even Hive. It has the speech bubble with a lock. The second, “With AI”, is sent and stored securely, and Hive can process its content; in return, it has all the AI features: create, summarise, translate, read aloud. Every further chat is end-to-end encrypted unless you choose “With AI”. More under End-to-end encryption.
What the other person sees: if they have already accepted or started a chat with you, the new chat appears in their chat list right away. While it is still empty, they see “new” next to your name and the chat until they open it, and Hive shows them the notice “Name started a new chat: Title” once (not a push notification, and on each of their devices separately). If you write in it straight away, they see the number of new messages instead. Otherwise they get a request under “Requests” with “Accept” and “Decline”. This also applies if they have declined a chat with you before. If they have declined every chat with you, you can’t create a new one.
How many: with Free you can only create a new chat while there are fewer than 4 between the two of you. Every chat between you counts: the first one (for new contacts, “Private” and “With AI”), the ones the other person created, and archived or declined ones too. From Plus there is no limit, and on Free neither if you add “Unlimited chats” in the browser (see Plans, storage and credits). The plan that counts is the one of the person who creates the new chat: if the other person has Plus, they can go beyond 4.
Rename: open the chat, tap the person’s name at the top of the chat (“Partner & Chat Settings”) and, under “Title”, the pencil (“Edit title”). Enter the new name and tap the check mark (on a computer, Enter works too). The title applies to both of you; each of you picks their own background. In the apps, until the next update, tap the gear at the top (“Chat settings”) and “Save”.
Remove from the list: in the chat list, tap the archive icon next to the chat (“Archive chat”; on a computer it appears when you hover over the row), then “Archive”. This only applies for you, and the chat is also muted: new messages don’t bring it back and don’t notify you. To bring it back, tap the “Archive” row at the end of the chat list (“Archive & management”) and tap “Restore”; it is listed there under the person’s name only. It stays muted until you tap “Mute off” under “Muted” in the same window.
Delete: open the chat, tap the person’s name at the top (“Partner & Chat Settings”) and, under “Delete”, tap “Delete chat”. With “Delete just for me” it disappears for you and the other person keeps it; if they write there again, the chat comes back for you. This also works for a chat without messages. With “Delete for both”, the other person is asked: they get a notification and see the request at the top of the chat. If they agree, all messages and files in it are gone for both of you, and one of your other chats shows “The chat “Title” was deleted for both of you.” Deleting for both only works while another chat with the person remains; the last one always stays, but you can empty it with “Delete chat for both” (see Delete individual data). If the kill switch applies in the chat, there is only “Delete for both”, and it’s gone for both of you right away, without asking (see Kill switch).

In the Android app, “Private” and “With AI”, with the lock and the choice when you create a chat, only come with the next update.

End-to-end encryption

Every chat between two people is end-to-end encrypted, with nothing to switch on, as soon as you both have a key; Hive creates it by itself the first time you open it. That goes for text, photos, stickers, videos, voice messages, files and locations. Only your devices have the key, so Hive can’t read the content either. Everything travels over the network encrypted (HTTPS), in every chat.

How to tell: at the top of the chat and in the list of chats by the sign in front of the title, in the chat list by the sign after the name. A speech bubble with a lock means end-to-end encrypted. If the shackle is open and the sign is pale on “Private”, the chat is still waiting for the other person’s key (“Gets encrypted as soon as you're both ready”). Chats with AI show the honeycomb in the lists. If you have several chats with someone, the lock appears on that person’s row only when all of them are encrypted.
New contacts: every new contact has two chats. The first, “Private”, is end-to-end encrypted. The second, “With AI”, is sent and stored securely but not end-to-end encrypted: Hive can process the content there so summaries, transcripts and podcasts work, and it has all the AI features. Every further chat is end-to-end encrypted unless you choose “With AI” when you create it (see Several chats with one person).
Older chats and requests: Hive switches existing one-to-one chats over by itself as soon as you both have a key, and a chat request as soon as the other person accepts it. The chat then shows the line “End-to-end encrypted from here”: everything after it is encrypted, anything before it stays as it was. Until then, messages there are sent unencrypted, with the regular speech bubble. Hive doesn’t switch over chats with AI.
Calls: one-to-one calls, including video and screen sharing, are end-to-end encrypted: sound and picture travel encrypted from device to device, even when a call goes through a relay. Hive calls run through an intermediary and aren’t. In an encrypted chat, each device encrypts its own recording of a one-to-one call. Transcripts from it and “Summarise the whole call” aren’t available there yet. A podcast that our server puts together in another chat is not end-to-end encrypted.
Podcasts in encrypted chats: once your device has decrypted the recordings of a call, they appear together as usual, with “Merge podcast”. In the “Podcast studio” you choose who does the work. With “Compute here”, your device decrypts and edits them itself; keep the window open until it’s done, then send the podcast to the chat encrypted with “Into the chat”. With “Render on the server”, Hive first asks “Render on the server?”. If you agree, your device sends the recordings to Hive unencrypted; Hive edits them together and then deletes the recordings (privacy policy, section 5). Hive keeps the finished podcast for at most two days: your device picks it up as soon as Hive is open and puts it in the chat encrypted. A pill at the bottom shows the progress, even if you close the studio. This already works in the browser; in the apps it comes with the next update.
What isn’t end-to-end encrypted: the AI chat and chats with AI such as “With AI”: they are sent and stored securely, and our server can read them so the AI features work; whatever goes to an AI there is processed by the AI provider. Also Hives, “My notes” and chat requests until they are accepted. Reactions, call entries and the entries about disappearing messages, self-destruct, delete requests and the kill switch are metadata, not content, and are stored readably on our server; it also knows who writes to whom and when. For a location, it only sees that it is one, not where.
AI in an encrypted chat: translating, reading aloud and summarising work on individual messages here too, but only when you trigger them. The first time, Hive asks “Send to the AI?”, because exactly this text then goes to the AI provider. On your draft in the input field, “Improve text”, translating and reading aloud work. With the honeycomb on the right of the input field (“With AI”) you make images and videos, with “Open studio” songs too, and send them to the chat with “Send to chat”. Your description goes to the provider as always. Your device encrypts the result before sending, like an attachment; in your gallery at Hive it stays unencrypted until you delete it there. Hive itself doesn’t train any AI on your content.
What doesn’t work there: “Create from this” on a message, “From this chat” for lyrics, “Describe image”, transcripts of voice messages, “Summarize chat”, summarising a selection and “Save to my cloud”. Use “With AI” for those. Forwarding works neither out of an encrypted chat, not even for text, nor into one. Files can be as large as your plan allows, but no more than 2 GB (see Large files).
New device and browser: every account gets a key on first launch, in the browser too. If your account already has one, for example from your phone, a new device can only read your encrypted chats once you connect it: with “Connect device” by QR code (see Privacy) or with your backup code. Until then you see locked placeholders and, at the top of the chat, the notice “Key missing on this device”; “Restore” leads to both options.
Backup code: under “Me” and “Privacy and security”, in the “Encryption” group, tap the button next to “Key and backup”, for example “Set up”. In the “Key backup” window, tap “Set up backup” and “Create backup”, with a passphrase if you like. Hive shows the backup code only this once: save it with “Copy code”, for example in your password manager, and confirm below that you have saved it. On a new device, tap “Restore on this device” in the same window. Without a backup code (or passphrase) and without a device on which your chats are readable, your encrypted messages can’t be recovered, not even by Hive.
Notifications: our server doesn’t know the text of encrypted messages, so notifications about them never show the content, only the name or nothing at all, depending on your setting (see Calls and notifications). If someone doesn’t have a key yet, they get the notification “Name wants to chat with you end-to-end encrypted. Tap here to set up your key.”
Reporting: if you report a message from an encrypted chat, Hive offers to send its text along from your device; photos, videos and files don’t go along. Our server itself can’t see inside (see Report content).
Screenshots: the other person can always photograph or screenshot what you send. Encryption protects the way there and our server, not what someone sees on their own device.

In the apps, some of this only comes with the next update. In older Android versions, such as the one from Google Play, only text works in encrypted chats until the update; send photos, videos, voice messages and files there via “With AI”, and it doesn’t open encrypted ones. “Connect device” is missing there too, and it doesn’t create a key by itself. Until then, all apps lack the line “End-to-end encrypted from here”, AI on encrypted messages, and creating, stickers and locations in encrypted chats, and the chat still shows the old “Secret (E2E)” switch and the old texts. An encrypted location appears there as a link “📍 https://www.openstreetmap.org/…” instead of a map, and an encrypted sticker like an image.

Disappearing messages and self-destruct

With disappearing messages, every new message deletes itself after a set time. With self-destruct, the two of you agree on a time in a one-to-one chat when all its messages are deleted for both of you.

Turn on disappearing messages: in the chat, tap the person’s name at the top (“Partner & Chat Settings”) and choose a time under “Disappearing messages”: “1 hour”, “1 day” or “1 week”. In a Hive, the same choice is in “Hive settings”. Below it you see what applies, for example “Every new message disappears for both of you 1 day after it's sent. Older messages stay.”, in Hives “for everyone”.
How to tell: while it’s on, the top of the chat shows a clock with the time, and the chat list shows a clock on the chat. Every new message shows next to its time when it disappears, for example “until tomorrow”, a time of day or, within the last hour, the minutes left. When the time is up, it drops out of the history.
Change or turn off: tap the clock at the top of the chat and choose another time or “Turn off”; new messages then stay again. Both of you can do this, in Hives everyone. Every change appears as an entry in the chat, for example “Name turned on disappearing messages: 1 day.”; there is no notification for it.
Suggest a self-destruct: in “Partner & Chat Settings” under “Self-destruct”, tap “Self-destructing the chat …”. Pick a quick choice such as “In 1 hour”, “This evening”, “Tomorrow” or “In 1 week”, or a day in the calendar and the “Time”. Below, you see the day, the time and how long until then. Tap “Suggest”. The time can be at most 1 year ahead.
Agree or decline: the other person gets a notification and sees the suggestion at the top of the chat with “Agree” and “Decline”. Until they agree, you can take it back with “Withdraw”. If they agree, all messages in this chat are deleted for both of you at the chosen time, with no trash. Until then, either of you can stop it with “Cancel”.
Entries in the chat: suggesting, agreeing, declining, withdrawing and cancelling appear as entries in the chat, and so do delete requests and the answers to them (see Delete individual data). Tap the x on an entry to remove it; it’s then gone for everyone in the chat, and the setting itself stays as it is. These entries aren’t end-to-end encrypted (privacy policy, section 5).
Notifications: if someone suggests a self-destruct to you, asks you to delete something or answers such a request of yours, you get a notification with their name and a short sentence, such as “accepted your delete request”. In muted chats you get none. In locked chats, and if you chose “Nothing, just “New message”” under “Preview in notifications”, it only says “There's something new in a chat.”
Limits: both work inside Hive. Anything someone photographed, downloaded or saved some other way before stays.

In the apps, most of this comes with the next update: the sentence below the time choice, the clock at the top of the chat, the time on each message, the quick choice and calendar for self-destruct (until then a date field), the entries in the chat and “Delete chat”. Notifications already arrive there; until then, answer a request to delete a chat for both of you in the browser.

Kill switch

With the kill switch, either side of a one-to-one chat can delete anything for both of you right away, without asking the other: the other person’s messages, the whole history and the chat itself. It only applies in the chat where you turn it on, and only once both of you have agreed.

Agree: open the chat, tap the person’s name at the top (“Partner & Chat Settings”) and, under “Kill switch”, switch on “I agree”. Hive asks once more (“Turn on the kill switch?”); tap “Agree”. Below the switch you see where things stand, for example “You agreed. It takes effect once Name agrees too.”
If the other person agrees first: you get a notification, and the chat shows “Name wants to turn on the kill switch. It takes effect once you agree too.” You can agree right at that entry with “Agree” or with the switch in “Partner & Chat Settings”. If you don’t agree, it doesn’t apply.
How to tell: while it applies, the top of the chat shows “Kill switch”; tap it for an explanation.
What changes: the menu of the other person’s message shows “Delete for both” instead of “Request deletion”, and the message is gone for both of you right away. “Delete chat for both” deletes all messages and files in the chat for both of you right away, and “Delete chat” the whole chat; the last chat with the person stays, but you can empty it. In “Partner & Chat Settings”, “Delete chat for me” then leads to “Delete chat for both”, and “Delete chat” only offers “Delete for both”. There is no trash.
Turn off: switch “I agree” off again. Either side can do this at any time on their own, and the kill switch stops applying right away. The other person’s agreement stays until they switch it off themselves.
Entries and notifications: agreeing and turning it off appear as entries in the chat, and so does deleting the chat or a chat with the kill switch. The other person gets a notification each time, under the same rules as for self-destruct (see Disappearing messages and self-destruct). Deleting a single message creates no entry and no notification, just like deleting your own. The entries aren’t end-to-end encrypted (privacy policy, section 5).
Limits: the kill switch only exists in one-to-one chats, not in Hives. It works inside Hive: anything someone photographed, downloaded or saved some other way before stays.

In the apps, the kill switch, “Delete chat for both” and “Later” come with the next update. Until then, turn on the kill switch in the browser and answer the question “I'm deleting mine, will you delete yours too?” there too; the notifications already arrive in the apps. Until then, “Request deletion” in the apps stays a request, even when the kill switch applies.

Privacy: who finds you, PIN lock and devices

You find the settings under “Me” and “Privacy and security”, and the search at the top of the chat list. In the apps it comes with the next update; in the browser it works now.

Who can find you: under “Who can find you”, switch “Findable in search” on or off. When it’s on, choose the ways below it: “By your username” (in search and with @username), “By your email address” (only people who enter the exact address) and “By your name” (when searching for names). When it’s off, nobody finds you through search. People who already have you as a contact or get your QR code can still reach you. Hive never shows your email address to anyone.
Your QR code: every account has a QR code with a profile key (it starts with HIVE-). Tap “Show” next to “Your QR code”, or “My QR code” under “New chat”. Anyone who scans the code or enters the key can send you a contact request, even if you can’t be found otherwise. “Share link” sends a link to it, “Copy key” copies the key. “Create new key” makes your current key and QR code stop working; your contacts stay.
Search and find people: at the top of the chat list there is a search field. It narrows down your chats by names, @usernames, Hives, empty chats and chat titles. Below, under “Find people”, more people appear: the plus sends a contact request, and for contacts the arrow opens the chat. If you enter an email address or a profile key, the button for sending a request appears. Who you can find this way depends on what that person allows under “Who can find you”.
Add someone by QR code: tap “New chat” and, under “Add contact”, tap “Scan QR code”. Or enter the profile key in the “Email or @username” field and tap “Add by profile key”. Hive then sends the person a contact request. If you scan a Hive QR code with your phone’s regular camera, it opens the app if it’s installed (from the next update), otherwise the browser.
Set up a PIN: under “PIN lock”, tap “Set up” next to “PIN on this device” and enter a PIN with 4 to 8 digits twice. It only applies to this device, in a browser only to that browser, and is never uploaded. With “Lock app with PIN”, Hive asks for the PIN when you open it and after it has been in the background for a while. You choose how long under “Lock”: immediately, after 1 minute (the default), after 5 minutes or after 1 hour. This also applies to locked chats. In the apps, from the next update, you can also unlock with Face ID or your fingerprint: under “PIN lock”, switch on unlocking with face or fingerprint after setting it up in your phone’s settings. The PIN always works too.
Lock a chat: open the chat, tap the person’s name at the top (“Partner & Chat Settings”) and switch on “Lock chat”. If you don’t have a PIN yet, you set one now. The chat disappears from the chat list and appears at the top under “Locked chats”, which only open with your PIN. For a person, the lock applies to all chats with them, including new ones. Notifications from locked chats show neither name nor content. You unlock a chat in its settings. In the apps, until the next update, “Lock chat” is behind the gear at the top of the chat (“Chat settings”).
Forgot your PIN: when Hive asks for the PIN, tap “Forgot your PIN? Sign out” and tap again to confirm. Then sign in with the code from the email. Locked chats stay locked; to open them, you set a new PIN. After several wrong entries, Hive makes you wait a little.
Connect a device: this lets you read your encrypted chats in the browser or on a new phone too, without a backup code. On the new device, under “Privacy and security”, in the “Encryption” group, tap “Show code” next to “Connect device” (or tap “Restore” in the “Key missing on this device” notice, then “Link with your phone (QR code)”). On the device where your encrypted chats are readable, tap “Scan” in the same place and scan the code. Hive shows which device it is (browser, system and country of the network); if that’s right, tap “Connect”. Your device passes the key on encrypted, and our server never sees it. The code is only valid briefly; “Show new code” gets you a new one.
Be careful when connecting: a connected device can read all your encrypted chats. Only scan a code that is on your own screen right now. If someone sends you such a code, cancel. If your key comes from an older version of Hive, connecting only works once you set up the backup again under “Key and backup” on the device with your chats. Your account then gets a new key, and older encrypted messages stay unreadable.

Create: music, voice, graphics and more

AI images, videos, songs, graphics, memes and read-aloud texts are made with “Create” in a chat’s input row. In the “Create with AI” window you find the “Music”, “Voice”, “Graphic” and “Meme” tabs next to “Image” and “Video”. In the apps, all of this comes with the next update; in the browser it works now.

Create a song: under “How should it sound?”, describe the style, for example genre, instruments and voice (10 to 300 characters). You write the “Lyrics” (up to 3000 characters) yourself, or tap “Write lyrics for me”. With “From this chat”, a text model writes them from the last 30 text messages of the chat; this doesn’t work in end-to-end encrypted chats. Then choose the model and tap “Create song”. The price is on the button.
The two models: MiniMax Music 2.0 is affordable and sings your lyrics; it doesn’t work without lyrics, and a song is about 2 minutes long. ElevenLabs Music is the top tier: you choose 1 or 2 minutes and pay per started minute, and without lyrics the piece is instrumental.
When it’s ready: a song usually takes one or two minutes. You send it to the chat or save it on your device, and all your songs are listed under “Your songs”. Each one is marked “Created with AI”. If the provider declines something, nothing is charged.
Have text read aloud: in the “Voice” tab, write a text under “What should be read aloud?” (up to 1000 characters), choose one of the four voices and the “Speed” (0.8×, normal or 1.2×) and tap “Read aloud”. From a message, use “Read aloud with a voice” in the message menu. Every file is marked “Read aloud with AI”. Reading aloud costs credits; on Free, Hive reads aloud at most 1,000 characters a month, with Plus, Pro and Studio there is no limit.
Your own voice: tap “Record your own voice”, read the text shown calmly for 15 to 30 seconds and confirm that it is your own voice. Only record your own voice. Hive keeps the recording until you remove it with “Delete your voice”; “Record your voice again” replaces it. After that, “My voice” appears in the list and reads up to 300 characters at a time. What happens to the recording is explained in the privacy policy.
Create a graphic: in the “Graphic” tab, choose “Social media post”, “Story”, “Logo” or “Poster”. Under “What should it be?” goes the text for the graphic (for a logo, “Name or brand”); below it, describe what it’s about and which style, and you can add “Colours (optional)”. Then tap “Create graphic”; the price is on the button. Finished graphics are listed under “Your graphics” and in “Your images”. From a message, use “Graphic from this”.
Cut out: from Plus, tap “Cut out” below a graphic: the background disappears and you get a PNG with a transparent background. In Plus, logos come cut out right away; in Free, they are on a white background. If cutting out doesn’t work, nothing is charged.
Improve with AI: at the bottom of the description field for images, videos and graphics and of the music style field there is “Improve with AI”. A text model turns your idea into a more precise description; it costs the same as the writing assistant. If you don’t like it, “Undo” brings your text back.
Create from a message: press and hold a text message (on a computer: click it or press Enter) and, under “Create from this”, choose “Image from this”, “Video from this”, “Song from this”, “Graphic from this”, “Meme from this” or “Read aloud with a voice”. The “Create with AI” window opens in the matching tab with the text already in the field. For an image, there is “Create with it” (as reference image), “Video from this” (as start image), “Meme from this”, “Describe image”, “Save as sticker” (see Stickers) and “Share” (to other apps). Whatever you create this way and send to the chat arrives as a reply to the message; in the message menu, “Created from this” takes you there. This isn’t available in end-to-end encrypted chats.
Describe image: the AI describes the image in words; the price is shown next to it in the menu. “Use as description” opens “Create with AI” with this text as the description for a new image.
Make a meme: in the “Meme” tab, tap “Choose photo” or “Use AI image” and write the “Top text” and “Bottom text”. If you want a suggestion, describe briefly under “Idea for the text” what it’s about and tap “Suggest text”; it costs the same as the writing assistant. The meme is made on your device, and the image isn’t sent to our server. “Send to chat” sends it as a PNG, “Download” saves it.

Stickers

Your photos and pictures from the chat become stickers. This already works in the browser; in the apps it comes with the next update.

Make a sticker: in a chat, tap the plus at the bottom and then “Stickers”. In the “Stickers” sheet, tap “New sticker” and choose a photo. Hive cuts it out: the background disappears and the sticker goes into your collection. It also works with a picture in the chat: press and hold the picture and, under “Create from this”, choose “Save as sticker”.
What it costs: a new sticker costs a little credit; the price is on the button. It works on every plan, including Free. If cutting out doesn’t work, nothing is charged. Sending is free.
Send stickers: in the “Stickers” sheet, tap a sticker to send it to the chat. There it appears without a bubble, cut out against the chat background.
Delete: in the “Stickers” sheet, tap “Edit”, then the sticker, and confirm with “Delete”. “Done” takes you back. Stickers you already sent stay in the chat. Your collection holds up to 200 stickers.
In encrypted chats: stickers work in end-to-end encrypted chats too, such as “Private”. There your device encrypts the sticker like an image before sending it. Your collection itself is stored unencrypted at Hive, and only you can see it.

Chat background

You give each chat your own background, a colour or an image. Only you see it. This already works in the browser; in the apps it comes with the next update, and until then they show the chat’s previous colour.

Where: in the chat, tap the person’s name at the top (“Partner & Chat Settings”); in a Hive, tap the gear (“Hive settings”). Under “Background” you find tiles: “Default”, seven colours (Yellow, Blue, Green, Violet, Pink, Turquoise, Grey) and “Custom”, which opens your device’s colour picker. Every choice applies right away, and Hive shows “Background set”.
Your own image: below the tiles, choose “Image from device”, “From Hive Cloud” or “Create with AI”. With AI, the Studio opens in portrait format, and every image there has “Set as background”; an AI image costs credits, and the price is shown before you start. Then “Check image” shows your chat on top of the image: “Apply” sets it, “Another image” lets you choose again. While it is set, it appears as an “Image” tile next to the others. The image stays still while the messages scroll over it.
Only for you: there it also says “Only you see this background.”, and in a one-to-one chat also “Name sees their own.” The other person gets no entry and no notification. Your choice applies to this chat, with several chats with one person to each of them separately, and is the same on all your devices.
The previous colour: if you gave the chat a colour before, it stays the background for both of you until you choose one yourself; the other person keeps it until they choose. It no longer tints the title and ring in the chat list.
Where the image is stored: Hive shrinks your image on your device and stores it on our server, readable only by you. It counts towards your storage but does not appear in Hive Cloud; when your storage is full, no new image is possible. If you choose a different background, Hive deletes the old image, and also when the chat is deleted for both of you or you leave the Hive. The image is a setting, not a message: it never goes to the other person and is not end-to-end encrypted, even in end-to-end encrypted chats.

Large files

You send files in the chat as before, now very large ones too. This already works in the browser; in the apps it comes with the next update.

How large: up to 250 MB per file with Free, up to 5 GB with Plus, up to 20 GB with Pro and up to 50 GB with Studio. If a file is too large for your plan, Hive tells you the limit.
While uploading: large files are uploaded in parts. The chat shows a bubble with the name, how much is already uploaded and a progress bar; you can cancel the upload there. If the connection drops, Hive carries on by itself (“Connection lost, continuing shortly …”); otherwise tap “Resume”. If you reloaded the page, choose the same file in the same chat again and it continues from there. Up to five files upload at the same time.
Storage: what you send in chats and create with AI counts towards your storage: 250 MB with Free, 50 GB with Plus, 200 GB with Pro and 1 TB with Studio, plus “Extra storage” if you have added it (see Plans, storage and credits). You can see how much is used in Hive Cloud. There is no expiry date; how to delete files is explained under Delete individual data.
Temporary storage: if a file of 20 MB or more no longer fits into your storage, Hive asks “Send as temporary storage?” when you send it to a chat. Under “How long?” you choose 1, 3, 7 or 14 days, at most as long as messages stay in that chat. It costs 1 credit per started GB and day, charged when sending starts; if you cancel, you get everything back. The file doesn’t count towards your storage, doesn’t appear in Hive Cloud and disappears for everyone after the chosen time. If you delete it for everyone before then, you get back the days that haven’t started; what came from your monthly credits only within the same month. There is no temporary storage while the storage protection applies (the first 14 days after your first paid plan or storage plan, and 5 GB a day, see Hive Cloud) or after a chargeback.
In an end-to-end encrypted chat: every part is encrypted on your device before it is uploaded. Files there can be as large as your plan allows, but no more than 2 GB. For the other person, the file only loads when they tap it.
Downloading and forwarding: in the browser, large files are downloaded by the browser itself. Forwarding works up to 100 MB, but not out of end-to-end encrypted chats.

Hive Cloud

Hive Cloud keeps everything you store in Hive in one place: your uploads, what you create with AI and what you send in chats. It already works in the browser; in the apps it comes with one of the next updates.

Where: tap “Cloud” (between “Studio” and “Me”), or “Hive Cloud” under “Me”.
What’s in it: your uploads, your AI images, AI videos and AI music, your voice sample, transcripts of your voice memos, and the images, videos, files and stickers you sent in chats. What others send you is in their cloud and counts for them.
Storage: at the bottom, a circle shows how much is used, with how much is free next to it; if there is more in it than your plan allows, it shows how much is over your plan. Tap it to see your storage by type (images, videos, audio, documents) and origin, along with the “Trash” and “More storage”, which takes you to the plans. Everything counts except transcripts, the trash too: 250 MB with Free, 50 GB with Plus, 200 GB with Pro and 1 TB with Studio, plus any “Extra storage” you have added.
When your storage is full: you can’t store anything new: no uploads, no attachments or stickers in chats, no new AI images, AI videos or songs. Messaging and calls keep working; large files can then go to a chat as temporary storage. To make room, delete something, add “Extra storage” or move to a higher plan (see Plans, storage and credits).
On a paid plan or with a storage plan: you can store up to 5 GB of new attachments and uploads a day; it continues the next day. In the first 14 days after your first paid plan or storage plan you can fill at most a quarter of your storage, after that all of it is yours. After a chargeback you can’t store anything new for 14 days; what is already there stays readable. This protects Hive from abuse.
Uploading: with “Upload” you store files of any kind, several at once, each up to 95 MB. They go into the folder that is open, otherwise into “Uploads”. If you already uploaded the same file, Hive doesn’t store it again; if it’s in the trash, Hive brings it back.
Folders: at the root, the areas “Uploads”, “AI”, “Chats” and “Recordings” appear like folders, followed by your own. “New folder” creates a folder, inside other folders too; in the menu of one of your own folders you rename or delete it. If you delete a folder, its contents move up one level. In a file’s menu, “Move to folder” files it away; you can also rename your own uploads there.
Finding things: “Search” finds files by name, and AI works by their description too. Under “Filter” you tick types (images, videos, audio, PDF, documents, texts) and origins (uploads, AI, chats, recordings), several at once if you like; “All” shows all files at once, and “Root” takes you back to the folders. “Sort” orders by date, name or size. Hive shows the files as a “Grid” or a “List”; under “Details” you turn size, date, origin and prompt on or off.
Opening: tap a file and Hive shows it large with all its details, for AI works also the prompt, model and cost, with what you can do with it below. Tapping the preview, or “Open” in the menu, shows images, videos, audio, PDFs and texts directly. Anything else you get onto your device with “Save”.
Deleting and the trash: “Delete” moves your own uploads to the “Trash”, which you find by tapping your storage at the bottom. They stay there for 30 days and still count; until then you get them back with “Restore”, and “Empty trash” removes them right away. Hive deletes AI images, AI videos and AI music for good straight away after asking you. What you sent in chats you delete in the chat (see Delete individual data).
In the Studio: wherever you choose a photo or video, for example as a reference for an AI image, as a start or end frame of a video or for “From video”, there is “From Hive Cloud”. Photos you choose from your device there are stored in “Uploads” automatically. The other way round, “Use in Studio” in a file’s menu takes an image as a reference for an image, as the start frame of a video or as a meme, and a video into “From video”. With “Send to chat” you pick a chat, and the file is ready to send there.
Sharing: in the menu of a file or folder, “Share” lets you choose who can see it: “Only me” (the default), “Connections” (your contacts see it in your profile under “Shared”), “Anyone with the link” (anyone with the link can view and download it, even without Hive) or “Public” (everyone sees it in your public profile, even without Hive; if “Public profile” under “Me” and “Account and profile” is off, only your contacts and anyone with the link see it). You pass the link on with “Copy” or, where your device offers it, with “Share”. “New link” makes the current link stop working; if you switch back to “Only me” or “Connections”, the link stops working too. Sharing a folder shares everything in it, its subfolders included. Not everything can be shared; transcripts and your voice sample, for example, can’t. Only share what you made yourself or are allowed to share.
Save to my cloud: anything someone sends you in a chat or shares with you can be kept as your own copy with “Save to my cloud” in its menu, each file up to 95 MB. The copy counts like one of your own uploads. This doesn’t work for stickers or for files from end-to-end encrypted chats, such as “Private”.
Not yet: downloading whole folders at once isn’t possible yet.

Plans, storage and credits

Under “Me”, tap “Plans & credits” to see your plan and what you can add; tapping your credits takes you there too. In the browser, “Buy credits” comes first, then “Extra storage”, “Single features” and finally the plans. “Extra storage”, “Single features” and credits with a bonus are only available in the browser; in the iPhone and Android app you keep buying credits as a pack through the store.

Plans: Free, Plus, Pro and Studio; Plus, Pro and Studio come monthly or yearly. Each card shows what the plan includes, such as “Send files up to …”; your own plan has a border and says “Your plan”. In the browser, Plus, Pro and Studio show below the price how much you save compared with buying separately (“You save … a month”, or for a yearly subscription “You save … a year” compared with twelve months), and what the same would cost “Bought separately” each month. Your monthly credits are one budget for everything: AI, translating, reading aloud, dictating and Hive calls with more than 4 cameras are paid from them. With a monthly subscription in the browser, “Change →” switches your plan, and on your own plan “Switch to yearly” moves you to a yearly subscription. A yearly subscription in the browser ends by itself; to change your plan then, use “Manage payment & subscription”. If your subscription runs through Apple or Google, you change it there.
Extra storage: with any plan, even Free, “Subscribe” adds more storage: +10 GB for €0.99, +50 GB for €1.99, +200 GB for €4.99 or +1 TB for €19.99 a month. Above it you see how much you use and how much is free, as in Hive Cloud. A storage plan runs monthly alongside your plan and can be cancelled on its own; several storage plans add up. What you have added shows as “Active”, after cancelling as “Active until” with the last day.
Single features: without a bundle you can add single features, each cancellable any month: “Without the Hive mark” (podcasts, AI images and AI videos without the mark) for €0.99 a month or once, forever, for €6, “Unlimited chats” for €1.99, “Unlimited podcast” (as many episodes as you like, without the Hive mark; on Free you get 3 finished episodes per calendar month, with the mark) for €3.99, “Hive calls up to 12 people” for €4.99 and “Hive calls up to 50 people” (includes “up to 12”; a running “up to 12” then ends at the end of its month) for €7.99 a month. What your plan already has shows as “Included in your plan”: from Plus everything except “Hive calls up to 50 people”, which comes with Pro. If you take a plan in the browser or in the app that includes a feature you added, the feature ends at the end of its month; alongside a yearly subscription that ends by itself, it keeps running.
Buy credits: €1 buys 100 credits, any amount from €5 to €500. Tap an amount or enter a whole amount in the “Other amount in euros” field, then tap the button with the amount, such as “Buy 1,000 credits”. Before you buy, Hive shows how many credits you get, how many of them are bonus, and roughly how many images or videos that is. This is based on the Studio defaults; what an image or video really costs depends on the model and, for videos, on the length. There is a bonus from €50 (5%), from €100 (10%) and from €200 (15%). Hive first asks “Before you pay”; with the checkbox your right of withdrawal for that purchase ends (see Support). Credits you buy never expire, and Hive always uses your monthly credits first.
Storage over your plan: if there is more in your cloud than your plan and storage plans allow together, for example after moving to a smaller plan, the bottom of the cloud shows how much is over your plan instead of how much is free. You can store new things again once there is room. For every started GB over the plan, Hive takes 10 credits for 30 days from your credits, monthly credits first; GB added during those 30 days cost 10 credits each until they end; your credit history lists it as “Storage over plan”.
If your credits run out: your cloud is read-only until you add storage, buy credits or free up space. With more storage or more room this takes effect right away, with bought credits by the next day at the latest. Viewing and downloading keep working; shared links and everything you have shared are paused, for your contacts and on your public profile too. Hive reminds you by email right away, after 7 and after 21 days. After 30 days, Hive deletes whatever is over your plan: first the trash, then your largest uploads, then the oldest AI works and finally the oldest media from chats. After a chargeback, Hive does not pay for the storage from your credits and deletes 14 days after the chargeback, but no sooner than 7 days after the first reminder. Your voice sample and your account stay.
Cancelling: in the browser you cancel your plan, storage plans and features under “Me” with “Manage payment & subscription”, each on its own, or without signing in under Cancel contracts here, where you choose “All my subscriptions”, “My plan (Plus, Pro or Studio)”, “A storage plan” or “A single feature”. Whatever you cancel runs until the end of the paid period. Subscriptions through Apple or Google are cancelled with the store (see Support).

Invite friends

This already works in the browser; in the apps it comes with the next update.

Where: you find “Invite friends” under “Me”, which also shows how many people you invited. It is also in the empty chat list and in search when nobody matches under “Find people”. The button gives you your link to pass on: to copy, via WhatsApp, by email or through your device’s share sheet.
What the other person sees: the link opens a page with your name and the way to Hive: on Android to Google Play, on iPhone and on a computer into the browser. If they sign up through it, a contact request is sent to you automatically; from the next update also when they install Hive from Google Play through the page.
If Hive is already installed: the link opens the app if it’s installed (from the next update). Until then, they open the link again after signing in, and the request goes to you.

What is stored for this is explained in the privacy policy, section 4.

Calls and notifications

Permissions: once per account and device (in the browser: per browser), Hive shows the step “So Hive can reach you”, usually right after you sign in. Tap “Set up” next to “Notifications” and, in the app, next to “Microphone and camera”; only then does your phone or browser ask. In the browser, it asks for the microphone and camera only the first time you call or record. On iPhone in the browser, “Notifications” is missing (see below). “Continue” takes you into the app without allowing anything. If you did not allow the microphone and camera, your phone asks the first time you need them.
Change notifications: under “Me”, tap “Notifications and ringtone”. There you switch “Push to this device” on or off, and “Send a test to this device” shows whether notifications arrive. Under “Preview in notifications” you choose what notifications about new messages show: “Name and message” (the default, the start of the message or, for example, “📷 Photo”), “Name only” or “Nothing, just “New message””. This applies on all your devices. For end-to-end encrypted messages, notifications never show the text, only the name or nothing, depending on your setting. In the Android app this choice comes with the next update; the preview with name and message already applies there. If the switch is locked, allow notifications for Hive in your phone’s or browser’s settings. On iPhone in the browser, notifications only work after you add Hive to the home screen via Safari, open it from there and switch on “Push to this device”. You change the microphone and camera in your phone’s or browser’s settings.
Ringtone: under “Notifications and ringtone”, choose one of six tones next to “Ringtone”: Drops (the default), Honeycomb, Bell, Crystal, Harp or Gentle. You hear the tone when you choose it, and again with “Listen”. If “Ringtone for calls” is set to “Off”, Hive plays no ringtone, and no dial tone when you call; the call screen still appears. In the browser, the call notification can still play your browser’s or computer’s sound. Both settings apply only on the device or in the browser where you set them.
When Hive is closed: Hive plays your ringtone while Hive is open. When Hive is closed, and on a phone often already when the app is in the background, a call arrives as a notification with your phone’s or browser’s sound. Tapping it opens the chat. If it is still ringing there, answer the call, or in a Hive tap “Join”; otherwise call back.
Missed calls and several devices: if the other person hangs up a one-to-one call before you answer, or nobody picks up, Hive replaces the call notification with “Missed call from” and the caller’s name. Notifications come in the language of your Hive account. If you miss several calls, one notification remains and names the latest, and the next one-to-one call replaces it. While the app is open in the foreground, your phone shows no Hive notifications. If you answer or decline on one device, your other devices where Hive is open stop ringing straight away and show “Answered on another device” or “Declined on another device”. In the app, this applies while Hive is open. Hive can only remove the call notification where Hive is open in the browser; everywhere else it stays until you tap it, swipe it away or a new one-to-one call replaces it.

Age

Hive is for people aged 16 and over. If you use the app with a US App Store or Google Play account, Hive is for people aged 18 and over; this also applies while the app cannot determine your store account’s country. You confirm your age with a checkbox when you sign in. The Google AI models (Nano Banana and Gemini Omni Flash) are available only from 18 everywhere. The app asks once before you first use them, unless you already confirmed at sign-in that you are at least 18.

The app also asks the store about your age: on iPhone (iOS 26.2 or later) the App Store, where the law requires it, for example in some US states; on Android Google Play, if your Play account is from the US or its country cannot be determined. Where no law requires it, Google may first ask whether you want to share your age. The app asks on the first start after installing or updating, when you sign in with an account that is new on the device, before your first purchase on the device and otherwise at most once a year. As long as the store gives no clear answer, it asks on every start.

Hive only uses the answer to work out whether you reach the age limit and keeps nothing but that result. It stays on your device and is not sent to our server.

If the store reports that you are too young, or if your age cannot be confirmed although the check is required for you or the app cannot rule that out at the moment (for example without a connection), you cannot use the app. Your account is not blocked because of this. You then see a “Check again” button. If your age is just not confirmed yet, allow Hive to see your age range in your iPhone’s Settings (you need to be signed in with your Apple Account there), confirm your age in the Play Store on Android, or check your connection, then tap it.

You can also delete your account without the app by writing to hey@typhora.group. All options are listed above under Delete your account.

Report content

Have you come across something in Hive that is illegal or harms people? Report it here, even without an account. A person reviews every report. If you have an account, you can also report people directly in the app. If you report a message from an end-to-end encrypted chat there, Hive offers to send its text along from your device; our server itself can’t see inside. If you tap “Report content” at the bottom of a shared link’s page, its address is already filled in here under “Where is the content?”.

For depictions of child sexual abuse you do not need to give a name or an address. If you give an email address, you receive a confirmation of receipt and later our decision.

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