# A family group chat that works on everyone's device

> Nothing to install and no phone number means the person who is worst with technology is not the person who gets left out.

- Page: https://navenapp.com/for/families
- Last updated: 2026-10-15
- Published by: Naven, a free messaging app that runs in a web browser (https://navenapp.com/about)

## Who this is for

Households with a mix of iPhones, Android phones, laptops and a school Chromebook.

![A Naven group chat on a phone, with a member typing](https://navenapp.com/shots/phone-group.webp)  
What it looks like in Naven: a screenshot of the app.

## The problem

The family chat is split in two because half the family is on Android and the group keeps degrading to SMS. Grandparents cannot install the app, and nobody wants to be the person who says so.

## How Naven handles it

- Send one link. Anyone opens it in the browser they already have — no install, no phone number, no app store account.
- Photos and voice notes arrive at the quality they were sent at, whatever device sent them.
- Start a group voice or video call from the same conversation, in the same browser.
- Under-13 accounts need a parent’s verified consent before they can send anything, as COPPA requires, and then get Naven’s strictest screening.

## What it costs

Nothing. Naven is free, with no advertising, no paid tier and no data sale. There is no card, no trial and no phone number.

**Other use cases:** [Teen messaging parents can live with](https://navenapp.com/for/teens) · [Schools and libraries](https://navenapp.com/for/schools) · [Friends and family abroad](https://navenapp.com/for/international-friends) · [Clubs and small communities](https://navenapp.com/for/clubs) · [Messaging without a phone number](https://navenapp.com/for/no-phone-number) · [Messaging with nothing to install](https://navenapp.com/for/no-app-install) · [Communities without an algorithmic feed](https://navenapp.com/for/feed-free) · [A private mode for your organisation](https://navenapp.com/for/custom-modes) · [Organising without a phone number](https://navenapp.com/for/activists) · [A team chat parents can join](https://navenapp.com/for/sports-coaches) · [Client chat without your personal number](https://navenapp.com/for/freelancers) · [Practising a language with someone abroad](https://navenapp.com/for/language-exchange) · [Coordinating care for a relative](https://navenapp.com/for/care-coordination) · [A study group that works on school devices](https://navenapp.com/for/remote-study-group) · [A volunteer rota that people read](https://navenapp.com/for/volunteer-shifts) · [A group for new parents](https://navenapp.com/for/new-parents) · [A house chat that survives people moving out](https://navenapp.com/for/housemates) · [A chat for a one-off event](https://navenapp.com/for/event-coordination) · [Messaging for a small charity](https://navenapp.com/for/small-charity) · [Tutor and student messaging](https://navenapp.com/for/tutoring)

## Naven, in brief

- **Price:** Free. No ads, no paid tier
- **Phone number:** Never asked for
- **To install:** Nothing. It runs in a browser
- **End-to-end encrypted:** No. Messages are screened before they send
- **Works on:** Phones, tablets, laptops, Chromebooks

### Limits, stated plainly

- Calls are not screened; messages, pictures and voice notes are
- The screen is automated. It misses things, and is weaker outside English
- No guarantees: Naven describes what it does, and its terms promise no outcome

**Naven is a free messenger that runs in your browser.** No phone number, nothing to install, and no new password.