Who Sent That Anonymous Message? Sarhny (صارحني) Explains

An anonymous message lands in your inbox and the first thought is probably the same: who sent this? Whether it came through NGL, an Instagram question sticker or a Sarhny (صارحني) link, the honest answer is one you may not want to hear: on a well-built platform, you cannot find out, and any app that promises otherwise deserves suspicion. Here is why, what the “reveal” apps really do, and how Sarhny protects senders.

The short answer

There is no reliable way for you to see who sent a genuinely anonymous message. Not by paying, not by installing a tracker, not by sending the person a “special” link. If an app or website claims it can unmask the sender for a fee, assume it is selling a guess, or worse.

Keep one rule in mind: a platform that would reveal the sender to you would also reveal you to the people you message. Anonymity either protects both sides or it protects nobody.

What happened with “reveal” features

This is not a theoretical worry. In July 2024 the US Federal Trade Commission and the Los Angeles District Attorney announced a settlement with NGL Labs, the company behind the NGL anonymous-question app. The regulators alleged that NGL sent users fake, computer-generated messages made to look like they came from real friends, then sold a subscription that promised to reveal who had sent messages, while delivering only vague hints. NGL agreed to pay $5 million and to stop the deceptive practices. You can read the details in our comparison of NGL, Sarahah and Sarhny.

The lesson for anyone browsing app stores: “see who sent it” is not a feature, it is a red flag.

What the unmasking tools actually do

Search for “find out who sent anonymous message” and you will find a steady supply of tools and tutorials. They tend to fall into three groups:

• Paid guesses.You pay, and you receive a “hint” such as the sender's phone brand or rough location, which matches half your contacts and proves nothing.
• Account grabs. The tool asks you to log in with your Instagram or Snapchat account, or to grant broad permissions. What it is really after is access to your account.
• Tracking-link tricks. Tutorials suggest sending people a logging link to capture their IP address. At best this tells you a network, not a person; at worst it is a privacy violation that can backfire on you.

How anonymity works on Sarhny

We would rather explain plainly than make vague promises, so here is what you can and cannot see on Sarhny:

• Visitors are always anonymous. Someone who writes to you through your link without signing in cannot be identified to you or to any other user.
• Signed-in senders choose. A person sending from their Sarhny account can choose to show their name. If they keep it hidden, you see nothing about them.
• There is no reveal button for sale.Sarhny does not offer a paid or unpaid way to unmask senders. We don't reveal senders and we don't sell your data. Limited technical data is used only to protect the platform from abuse, as explained in our privacy policy.

That is also why you should be wary of anyone claiming they can unmask a Sarhny sender for you: the information they would need is not shown to anyone.

Are there any exceptions?

Two, and neither is a loophole for curiosity:

• The message gives itself away. A detail only one person knows, a nickname, a writing style. That is your own guess from the content, not information the platform hands you, and guesses can easily be wrong.
• Formal legal process. Like any online service, a platform has to respond to valid legal orders in serious cases. That is a route for courts and police, not something an ordinary user can trigger, and it is not a tool for finding out who left a rude comment.

If a message worries you, do this instead

Wanting to know the sender comes from one of two feelings: curiosity or worry. For worry, you have better tools than detective work:

1. Report it. Reporting removes the message from your inbox and records a strike against the sender. When three different people report the same sender within 30 days, Sarhny blocks further anonymous messages from them.
2. Narrow who can reach you. In privacy settings, accept anonymous messages from everyone, only your followers, or nobody.
3. Keep evidence if it is serious. If a message threatens you, take a screenshot and involve people you trust and, where needed, your local authorities.

Our guide on handling mean anonymous messages walks through each of these in more detail.

Swap the question: what is the message telling you?

The value of an anonymous message is precisely that it is anonymous. People tell you things they would never say with their name attached: an apology, a compliment, advice that is hard to hear. The moment unmasking becomes possible, that honesty disappears and messages go back to polite small talk.

So instead of “who sent this?”, try “what can I learn from this?”. If the message is kind, enjoy it. If it is useful, act on it. If it is cruel, report it and let it go. Research on anonymous honesty points in the same direction; we summarised it in the science of anonymous honesty.

How to choose an app that respects anonymity

• It never sells a way to reveal who sent a message.
• It explains plainly what it stores and what it shows.
• It lets you control who can message you, including followers-only or off.
• It has reporting that actually leads to consequences for abusers.

Those are the principles Sarhny is built on. If you want honest messages from friends without the guessing games, start with your own link, or ask a single question through a mirror.