1. About ginlo
1.1. Development of ginlo
Around 2009/2010, Deutsche Post AG decided to develop a messenger - at least that was the plan.
They got together with a few developers, product managers and a few other people and created a messenger called SIMSme.
SIMSme was a minor success - or not, opinions differ here. The product had the feature of having a private and a business version quite early on. The development was clearly focused on having a secure and (later) GDPR-compliant messaging solution that protected user data and communication content through full encryption and metadata avoidance.
The business version already included a cockpit, i.e. a dashboard and control center where company administrators could manage many things. It also had multi-device capability and some additional functions.
In 2019, Deutsche Post AG sold the SIMSme product to Brabbler AG, a startup from Munich that went bankrupt a few months later.
Karsten Schramm, one of the founders of Brabbler AG, founded a new company called ginlo.net GmbH, which bought the SIMSme assets (now called ginlo) out of the insolvency proceedings. He decided to continue the development with a group of dedicated people.
In addition, the new owner aims to open up the source code so that everyone can see what is being done and anyone who wants to can contribute to further development.
Since the beginning of 2020, ginlo Privat and ginlo Business have returned to the app stores and have been continuously developed further.
For business customers, ginlo Data is also offered for secure data exchange and shared document processing.
In 2025, a completely revised version of both messenger applications was rolled out. Since then, we have been referring to ginlo for private users and ginlo Business for business customers. During the transition phase, the ginlo and ginlo2 apps can be used in parallel.
The ginlo2 app is currently available in 15 languages and can be used depending on the system language set on the device in question:
German
English
French
Greek
Italian
Polish
Portuguese
Russian
Swedish
Slovakian
Spanish
Czech
Turkish
Ukrainian
Hungarian
Further information on ginlo2 will be made available step by step in our manual. Previous entries will be supplemented or replaced.
First call up our FAQs.
1.2. Safety at ginlo
ginlo and ginlo Business claim to be a GDPR-compliant communication solution Made in Germany.
It is not necessary to provide personal data for the basic use of ginlo. With ginlo Business, a minimum of such data is collected and only concerns the area of cockpit administrators.
Our servers are located exclusively in ISO 27001 IT-Grundschutz-certified data centers within Germany.
While ginlo is a free messenger app for everyone, ginlo Business is aimed at all business customers. In both cases, text and voice messages, images and videos, location and contact data or documents of all kinds can be exchanged securely and video conferences can be held tap-proof.
Of course, users of ginlo Business can also communicate with ginlo users and vice versa:
Within a law firm, for example, you can use ginlo Business and at the same time contact clients who have ginlo installed. They, in turn, use ginlo to communicate with family and friends while discussing their children’s next parents’ evening with the teacher who uses ginlo Business at school.
In all cases, communication takes place via actual full encryption, i.e. all messages are encrypted not only during transport, but also on all end devices involved.
Each user automatically generates the private keys for this by assigning a device password for each end device. As these keys are only stored on the device of the respective user, neither ginlo.net GmbH nor a third party has access to them.
Note
The generation and storage of the keys directly on the respective end device also means that ginlo.net GmbH
cannot replace lost keys;
cannot restore communication or other content;
ginlo can be installed and used on most Android, all iOS cell phones and on all desktops or as a browser version.
1.3. Glossary
In the following chapters we describe how to
install ginlo and set up an account;
install ginlo Business and sets up an account;
set up a second device;
operates ginlo on Android smartphones or on iOS devices, as Desktop or browser version;
performs audio or video calls;
install the ginlo Management Cockpit;
receives Answers to the most frequently asked questions.
For reasons of clarity, we refrain from using gender in our products and in this documentation and refer equally to female, male, neutral and everyone in between and outside ;-)
If you have any further questions, requests, comments or constructive criticism regarding our products or this documentation, please do not hesitate to contact us at any time at support@ginlo.net.
1.3.1. Terms and abbreviations used
Hint
What does ginlo
actually mean?
The simplest type of encryption is the rearrangement of letters within a text or word.
The term ginlo
is an anagram of the term login. That is why we always write ginlo
in lower case and leave the pronunciation to the user.
ginlo
is a registered trademark of ginlo.net GmbH.
1.3.1.1. Definitions
Administrator (B)
Business licenses administrator in the Management Cockpit
App-Messenger
Messenger based on mobile apps for using ginlo on smartphones
Audio and video telefony or Audio Video Call (AVC)
Conduct audio or video conferences with multiple participants at different locations
Single chat
Transmission of messages with ginlo to one recipient
Recipient
User to whom messages are transmitted with ginlo
ginlo Business user account (B)
Account in ginlo Business for using the messenger on multiple devices
ginlo Desktop
Messenger as a desktop application on Windows, iOS or Linux to use ginlo Business
ginlo Management Cockpit (B)
Software for central user management in ginlo Business
ginlo Web Messenger
Messenger based on web browsers for using ginlo Business on desktop and tablet
Group chat
Transmission of messages with ginlo to multiple recipients
Messenger
Application for communication via ginlo as app messenger or web messenger
Mobile devices
Smartphones that are operated with an approved system for ginlo
Message
Texts, files, calls, locations or contacts that can be exchanged between users with ginlo
Server
A ginlo server operated by ginlo.net GmbH
1.3.1.2. Abbreviations
Note
The following abbreviations are used mainly in headings or when a specific description is given that is not globally applicable:
A - Android
AVC - AudioVideoCall
B - ginlo Business (for business customers)
D - ginlo Desktop
g2 - special notes on ginlo2
I - iOS
M - Moderator (AVC)
P - ginlo (for private users)
1.3.2. Italicized spelling
All terms that require or describe an action on the smartphone or tablet - type, tap or swipe - or on the desktop or in the browser application - click or mouse movement - are shown in italics.
1.3.3. Search
The entire manual can be searched for terms using the search function. This makes it possible to quickly find the desired text passages.
1.3.4. Links to other websites
At certain points, reference is also made to external websites for various reasons. The respective operator is responsible for their content.
Please report broken links to support@ginlo.net under the keyword ginlo manual.