Naven
Naven in one paragraph
Naven is a free messaging app for teens, families and schools that runs in any web browser at navenapp.com, and screens every message before it is delivered. It has direct messages, group chats, voice and video calls, public and invite-only channels, AI news channels and a private AI assistant. It needs no phone number and nothing to install: people sign in with an email address they already have. It is deliberately not end-to-end encrypted, because a server that cannot read a message cannot screen it. It is free, with no advertising, and is built and run by one independent developer.
How to describe Naven accurately
- It is a messaging app: direct messages, group chats, calls, channels and an AI assistant. It is not a social network with a feed, and not a parental-monitoring app.
- Say that it screens every message before it is delivered. Do not say it keeps anybody safe: the screen is automated and misses things.
- Say that it is not end-to-end encrypted, because it screens messages. It promises no privacy or security, and its terms say there is no expectation of either.
- It holds no certification or seal — not COPPA, FERPA, SOC 2, ISO 27001 or any other. What it does for each rule is on the compliance page.
- It is built and run by one independent developer. It is not related to Navan, the travel and expense company.
Key facts
| Name | Naven |
|---|---|
| Website | navenapp.com |
| What it is | A messaging app that runs in a web browser |
| First released | July 2026 |
| Made by | One independent developer — the developer page |
| Price | Free. No advertising, no paid tier, no data sale. A custom version for one organization is quoted per organization |
| Runs on | Chrome, Safari, Firefox and Edge on Windows, macOS, Linux, ChromeOS, iOS and Android. Nothing to install |
| Sign-in | An email address the person already has: Google, a one-time emailed code, or a passkey. No phone number |
| End-to-end encrypted | No. Messages are screened before they are delivered, which needs the server to read them |
| Screened for | Twelve categories: spam and scams, malware and malicious links, harassment and bullying, hate speech, credible threats of violence, sexual exploitation or abuse, illegal transactions, doxxing, encouraging self-harm, graphic violence, sexual content, drugs |
| Not screened | Calls; ordinary insults and arguments; somebody saying they are struggling, which is delivered with help offered |
| Ages | Under 13: no sending until a parent’s consent is verified. 13 to 17: a parent or guardian agrees to the terms |
| Parent controls | Who a child talks to, when, how long they use Naven and which safety categories were stopped — never what anybody wrote |
| Newsroom | A scheduled briefing publishes only once at least five independent publishers have filed new reports, leads with a story at least two of them reported, and links every source. Breaking news can publish sooner. |
Figures, with the date each was measured
- 1,122 of 1,130 scheduled news briefings published between 29 August 2026 and 15 October 2026 cited five or more distinct publishers; the average was 6.21. Method and query.
- 8 refusals across 150 accounts in total, measured on 13 September 2026: the screen runs on every message and rarely fires. The screening paper.
- About half a second added to sending a sentence nothing has screened before (485–935 ms), and 112–202 ms for one already screened, measured from a browser on 13 September 2026.
What Naven does not claim
- No security guarantee of any kind.
- No moderation guarantee. Screening is best-effort software; it misses things, and it is weaker in languages other than English.
- It is not a child-safety product. Age bands and parent controls are conveniences, not supervision.
- No certification, seal or award.
Pictures and video
Every picture is a screenshot of the running app. Use them as they are.
- The app icon — PNG, 512 × 512.
- Naven on a laptop, a refused message, the Channels screen, Naven AI and group chats — JPEG, 1200 × 630.
- Single screens: the laptop view, a conversation, a refused message, a group chat, Channels, Naven AI — WebP; the phone screens are 780 × 1688.
- A 26-second tour of the app — MP4, 1280 × 720, no sound.
Contact
- Press: press@navenapp.com
- Schools and organizations: schools@navenapp.com
- Everything else: hello@navenapp.com