Dust app alternative
Dust hasn't shipped an update since August 2025
Its three promises, unsend, screenshot alerts and a 24-hour wipe, all live inside an app nobody has updated since August 2025. A FadeChats room runs in a browser tab and never writes the conversation down.
Open a chat room
Open a chat roomA long quiet stretch for a messenger
Dust began as Cyber Dust, the messenger Mark Cuban co-founded, and it is still on Google Play as of October 2026, with more than 500,000 downloads. The listing makes the same three promises it always has: unsend any message anytime, a notification when someone takes a screenshot, and history erased automatically after 24 hours. Its last update is dated August 19, 2025.
A quiet app is not necessarily a broken one. But each of those promises is code running on two phones, and Android changes underneath it every year. A quiet stretch that long leaves a question you cannot answer from outside: whether anyone is still there to fix it when something stops working.
What each Dust promise depends on
| Dust promise | What it depends on | FadeChats instead |
|---|---|---|
| Unsend any message, anytime | The Dust app on the other phone receiving your delete | No unsend. What you send stays on their screen until the room closes |
| Screenshot notification | The app detecting the capture on their device | No alert. A browser cannot detect screenshots |
| History erased after 24 hours | Dust's own deletion running on schedule | Nothing to erase: messages go browser to browser and are never stored |
| A phone-verified account | Your number staying on file for as long as the account exists | No account and no phone number |
Dust details from its Google Play listing, checked October 2026.
Where Dust is still the better tool
- Unsend can pull a message back
Dust can delete a message from the other phone, as long as its app there receives the delete. Neither app can take back what was already read or captured. FadeChats has no unsend at all: once a message lands on the other screen, it is there until the room closes. If regret is the risk you are managing, that difference matters.
- Screenshot alerts make people think twice
An alert does not stop a capture, and nothing stops a second phone pointed at the screen. It does discourage the quick, careless screenshot. FadeChats has no equivalent.
- It remembers who you talk to
Dust keeps a contact list, so the same few people are always one tap away. FadeChats holds two people per room and forgets both once the room goes idle for about ten minutes.
Leaving Dust without leaving things behind
- Unsend first, uninstall second
Dust's unsend only works while the app is on your phone. Anything older than a day should already be erased by the 24-hour rule, but a message from this morning is still on the other person's screen. Recall it before you delete the app, because afterwards you have no way to reach it.
- Remove the account, not only the app
Uninstalling removes the app from your phone, not the phone-verified account behind it. Look for an account deletion option in the app's settings before you uninstall. If you cannot find one, write to the developer listed on the store page.
- Send the next conversation as a link
Open FadeChats, copy the invite link and send it however you already reach that person. They join from their browser, so a contact who never installed Dust can still have the private conversation with you.
Frequently asked questions
Is the Dust app still available?
Yes. As of October 2026 Dust is still on Google Play with more than 500,000 downloads. Its most recent update there is dated August 19, 2025.
Is Dust the same app as Cyber Dust?
Yes. Cyber Dust, the messenger Mark Cuban co-founded, was later renamed Dust. The model is unchanged: unsend, screenshot notifications and history erased after 24 hours.
Is Dust still safe to use?
Nobody outside the company can say for certain. No update since August 2025 is not proof of a flaw, but it means no recent fixes have shipped. The practical question is whether you want an account tied to your phone number held by an app in that state.
Can I unsend a message in FadeChats?
No. Once a message reaches the other browser it stays on that screen until the room closes. Nothing is stored on a server, so there is no copy left once it does.
Does FadeChats tell me if someone takes a screenshot?
No. A browser cannot reliably detect screenshots, and no chat app can stop a camera pointed at the screen.