First of all, texts are not encrypted. This means that your text message is sent as is to the recipient. To elucidate, say you send a text message to a friend: “Hey, how’s it going?” This message is sent through the network exactly as shown. However, if it were encrypted, it could read something like “rjhnc sjsdg rl dsdd#.”

Read More: What Information Does Facebook Collect About Its Users?

While SMS lacks this encryption, WhatsApp has recently implemented an end-to-end encryption policy that makes texting much safer. Even if law enforcement interrogates WhatsApp about a certain message, they won’t be able to assist because they have no access to the decryption code.

This end-to-end encryption is proliferating in popularity throughout social media networks. Apple’s FaceTime and iMessage have recently added end-to-end encryption. A third party app called Signal has also added this protection by default to their app.

While regular text messaging isn’t encrypted at all, there are some messengers that only offer “in-transit” encryption, leaving them vulnerable to third party hacking. Skype, Yahoo messenger, Snapchat, Kik, Skype, and Facebook Messenger are just a few of the apps that offer this protection. While in-transit encryption is safer than SMS texting, it is not as secure as end-to-end encryption.

In order to assure maximum safety for messaging, ensure that you and your texting partner are both using the same end-to-end encrypted messaging service such as WhatsApp. This will allow both sent and received texts to have maximum encrypted security.

Despite the advanced coding on end-to-end encryption, hackers can still pick up bits and pieces of your messages in some cases. For instance, just by monitoring the data of the encryption, some hackers can tell if someone is cheating on their spouse, selling illicit substances, or is a member of an organization.

MightyText

MightyText is a favorite among users because it not only allows you to text from your computer, you can also schedule messages, text from Gmail, and check your phone’s battery level on your PC. First, you need to install MightyText on both your phone and your computer for it to work properly. Next, link your computer and your phone by creating an account. Make sure you sign in using the same email account on the computer and phone versions of the app. After that, you’re all set to start using MightyText to send messages from your computer.

Read More: How to Automatically Backup Your Text and Call Log

DeskSMS

DeskSMS isn’t limited to a single computer, but rather it lets you send and receive texts wherever you can open a browser. Using this app, you can send and receive text messages in your email as well as receive notifications in your Chrome or Firefox browser. To set up MightyText you first install the app on your phone and give it permissions. Next, you can authenticate your Google account, so the app has permission to send your texts as chats, emails, or notifications in the system.

AirDroid

Like the other two apps, AirDroid lets you send and receive text messages on multiple screens and devices. To use it, you first want to download AirDroid both onto your computer and your phone. After you follow the instructions from the set-up wizard, the system will ask you to “Sign Up” for an account. Once you’ve done that, open the app on your Android and sign in again. A prompt on your phone will take you through the last steps of set-up, and then you’ll be ready to text on your computer.

As you’re texting away a storm on your PC, you want to make sure your Windows system is protected with one of the best optimization solutions available: PSafe Total Windows. PSafe speeds up your computer, cleans up your PC to make it run more smoothly, and offers you unbeatable anti-virus protection.

Add to Spam

One of the best ways to keep people from texting you is to add their contact to a spam list. To do so, go to your list of text messages. From there, hold the message coming from the unwanted number down. This will prompt a menu with three options, the bottom one being “Add to spam numbers.” Once selected, you will have to click “Ok” to verify and then this number can no longer reach you.

Talk to Your Service

Every carrier service has internal methods for blocking numbers on individual devices. If you really want to make sure someone can’t reach you, try contacting your carrier. First, go to the carrier’s website. Each website is configured slightly differently, but almost all of them have a tab that lets you block texts and emails. If you can’t navigate the site easily, you can always give your carrier’s customer service hotline a call, and they will happily block the number or email for you.

SMS Blocking App

If these other options don’t cut it, you can download an app specifically to remove a contact. There are a number of SMS blocking apps that appear when searching “SMS block” in the Google Play store. Most apps are similar in build, but each is slightly different, so be sure to read each app’s description before downloading and using.

With most of these apps, you can either block unknown numbers or block specific numbers. To block unknown numbers, go to “Settings” and select “Unknown Numbers.” To block specific numbers, you can choose messages from your inbox or text messages and request that the app block that specific contact. This feature also allows you to type in a number and manually block that specific person.

If you have more concerns about security on your device, make sure you check out PSafe Total which features a number of security features to make sure that your device is totally private.