Secure ProtonMail provider leaves beta, launches iOS app


ProtonMail announced Thursday it's now publicly available. Up to now, it's been available as a closed beta where people could sign up for an account, but had to wait for an available slot. Also announced is a native iOS available to download from the App Store.

ProtonMail is an encrypted mail service hosted in Switzerland. All mail is encrypted on the server and you need to enter a passkey to access the mailbox to unlock the encryption, in addition to an account password. While you can send encrypted messages to other ProntoMail users, you can also send password protected messages that can be accessed via a link for non-users.

What seem interesting about native apps is while the email is stored encrypted, there's a potential that a browser vulnerability or code injection could compromise the web client. Native apps would appear to alleviate that concern, although the other person on the email would also have to be using a native app and ProntoMail account.

The service is free with paid premium options available.