Guys, the stalker text app in YOU is a real thing and here’s how you can use it

So far in season four of YOU we have seen Joe Goldberg get stalked and tormented by the Eat the Rich Killer. The pair communicate via text on an app called Evanesce which shows the texts disappear after they’re sent. It reaaaaally creepy and seems to wind Joe up straight away.

The actual app itself is real, which makes the show feel eerily real. Here is the app explained and how to use it.

What is the Evanesce app and how is it used in YOU season four?

In London, Joe discovers that the well-off circle of people he’s integrated himself into is being stalked by an unnamed murderer who’s picking them off one by one. The Eat the Rich Killer is even attempting to frame Joe for all the killings if he doesn’t comply with what they want him to do.

In order to keep their identity a secret, the killer contacts Joe through the Evanesce app because it ensures texts cannot be traced and will disappear once they’re read. Joe is told through the app that he’s being set up and somebody close to him is sending a warning.

Throughout season four we see Joe second guessing everyone he’s met so far in London and it’s not until the fifth episode when the killer’s identity is revealed.

How does the Evanesce app work?

Evanesce is a secure that allows messages to be deleted once read and although the name is fictional, the app itself is real. Over the last decade we have become obsessed with protecting our privacy. Apps like Cover Me, Wickr, WhatsApp and Snapchat all allow for messages to self-destruct.

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However there’s an app called Confide which allows messages to vanish forever as soon as they’re read and messages are only revealed line by line. Screenshots are also impossible to take on Confide and it uses the same technology that produces a black screen whenever you try to screenshot on Netflix.

According to Confide, the app is really simple: “Receive messages from your friends and colleagues, “wand” over the words with your finger or mouse to read them, and watch them disappear without a trace when you’re done. They’re gone for good — no forwarding, no printing and no archiving.”

You can download the app for free here.

Part one season four of YOU is available on Netflix now. For all the latest Netflix news, drops, quizzes and memes like The Holy Church of Netflix on Facebook. 

Related stories recommended by this writer:

• Explained: Here’s how YOU season four part one ended after the killer’s identity was exposed

• Here’s how ridiculously long it would have taken Joe to walk around London in episode one

• Here are all the London-based filming locations you recognise in YOU season four