Group chats (up to 6 people)
Create an encrypted group of up to six Private.Ki users, what members see and from when, what a group can and cannot do compared with a one-to-one chat.
A group is a chat with up to six people, including you. Every message is encrypted separately to each member's key, so the group is exactly as private as a one-to-one chat — and for the same reason it can only hold people who already use Private.Ki, because each copy needs a key to be encrypted to.
Create a group
Click New chat and choose New group (the hint reads Up to 6 people, including you).
Pick the people. The screen lists Addresses you've written to — there is no address book; this is your own encrypted sending history. Tick up to five. You can also type an address into Search or type an address. The counter at the top reads 1 of 6 people · you and 0 others and updates as you go.
11 of 6 people2Search or type an address35 spots left4Tick to add5NextWeb & desktop 
1234511 of 6 people2Search or type an address35 spots left4Tick to add5NextiPhone 1234511 of 6 people2Search or type an address35 spots left4Tick to add5NextAndroid Only Private.Ki addresses can joinAn address outside Private.Ki appears greyed out with a NOT ON PRIVATE.KI tag and cannot be ticked. To bring that person in, invite them first — see Invite someone who isn't on Private.Ki — then add them to the group.
Click Next.
Name the group in Group name — up to 40 characters, and required. The avatar letters come from the name. The list under Who will be in it shows you tagged ADMIN and the people you picked.
1Group name213 / 403ADMIN — you4Everyone starts from here5Create groupWeb & desktop 
123451Group name213 / 403ADMIN — you4Everyone starts from here5Create groupiPhone 123451Group name213 / 403ADMIN — you4Everyone starts from here5Create groupAndroid Click Create group. The conversation opens and you can write straight away.
People see messages from the moment they join, never earlier. That includes the people you pick at creation — the group has no history before it exists — and it applies again to anyone you add later.
What the others see
Each person you picked gets the group in their chat list once the first message reaches them. The row shows the group name, a people icon with the member count, and who wrote last. In Group info a member who has not yet said anything is tagged PENDING; the tag clears when they write. That is not a delivery receipt — it only means their device has taken part.
123123Inside the conversation, messages from others carry the sender's name above the bubble. Your own are on the right without a name. The header lists everyone: You, chidi…, dara….
What a group can and cannot do
Groups share most of the one-to-one toolset, with a few honest gaps:
- Self-destruct timer — yes, set by the admin from Group info; applies to everyone.
- Photos, files, voice messages — yes, encrypted for every member.
- Reactions — no. Long-press or right-click a message and you get Copy and Delete only.
- Unsend / Destroy — no. Delete removes your own copy alone; the others keep theirs.
- Typing indicator — no. It works in one-to-one chats only.
- Read receipts — no, as everywhere in Private.Ki.
1212Roles
The person who creates the group is its only admin: they add and remove people, rename it, set the timer and can hand the group to someone else. Everyone else can read, write and leave. There is no second admin. All of this is in Manage a group.
What our server sees
Cannot see
- The group's name — it is encrypted like a message; only members can read it
- Message content, attachments, who reacted (there are no reactions in groups anyway)
Can see
- Which accounts receive copies of each message, and when
- The size of each encrypted copy
Each member holds their own key, and messages are encrypted to whoever is in the group at the moment of sending. Removing someone stops future messages reaching them, but everything sent while they were a member stays on their device. Privacy in Group info says the same in three sentences.
Common questions
Can I have more than six people?
No. Six is the limit, and the full sheet says so: Remove someone to make room, or Start a second group instead.
Can I add someone who is not on Private.Ki?
Not directly. The sheet offers Invite X in a one-to-one chat or Copy an invite link to send by email; once they have an account, add them.
Why do I not see a group I was added to?
It appears when the first message encrypted for you arrives. If the admin added you and nobody has written since, there is nothing to show yet.