Electronic communications device and messaging application therefor

1. A messaging application for a messaging service for an electronic communications device, the electronic communications device including a data store, a memory storing non-transitory machine readable instructions and a hardware processor, wherein execution of the non-transitory machine readable instructions by the hardware processor is configured to cause the messaging application to:

store, in encrypted form, message data for an identity registered on the messaging service as a database file on the electronic communications device;

require a user to input a predetermined access code for the registered identity before giving the user access to the stored message data; and

delete from the device the database file containing the encrypted data in the event that a particular different predetermined code other than the predetermined access code is provided in place of the predetermined access code;

wherein execution of the machine readable instructions by the hardware processor is further configured, in the event that the particular different predetermined code is provided in place of the predetermined access code, to cause the messaging application to send a communication to a server administering the messaging service to unregister the identity from the service so that the service will subsequently not transmit notifications of incoming calls or messages made to that identity.

2. The messaging application as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the particular different predetermined code is stored in the data store of the device as a cryptographic hash.

3. The messaging application as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the cryptographic hash is a concatenation of the particular different predetermined code and a unique device identifier.

4. The messaging application as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the predetermined access code and the particular different predetermined code have the same format.

5. The messaging application as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the messaging application is configured to:

open a session of the messaging service in the event that the user inputs the predetermined access code for the registered identity; and

in the event that the particular different predetermined code is entered during the session, to delete from the device the database file containing the encrypted data.

6. The messaging application as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the messaging application is configured to accept access codes in the form of gestures captured by an image capture module of the device, or patterns of touch captured by a touch-sensitive interface of the device.

7. An electronic communications device including a data store and a processor, the electronic communications device having a messaging application for a messaging service, the processor being configured to execute the messaging application to:

store, in encrypted form, message data for an identity registered on the messaging service, as a database file in the data store of the device;

require a user to input a predetermined access code for the registered identity before giving the user access to the stored message data; and

delete from the device the database file containing the encrypted data in the event that a particular different predetermined code other than the predetermined access code is provided in place of the predetermined access code,

wherein the processor is further configured, in the event the particular different predetermined code is provided in place of the predetermined access code, to send a communication to a server administering the messaging service to unregister the identity from the service so that the service will subsequently not transmit notifications of incoming calls or messages made to that identity.

8. The electronic communications device as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the particular different predetermined code is stored in the data store of the device as a cryptographic hash.

9. The electronic communications device as claimed in claim 8 , wherein the cryptographic hash is a concatenation of the particular different predetermined code and a unique device identifier.

10. The electronic communications device as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the predetermined access code and the particular different predetermined code have the same format.

11. The electronic communications device as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the processor is configured to execute the messaging application to:

open a session of the messaging service in the event that the user inputs the predetermined access code for the registered identity; and

in the event that the particular different predetermined code is entered during the session, to delete from the device the database file containing the encrypted data.