NIP 6 results: Port of call

Nym network opens ports for WhatsApp calls, Session Messenger, and SMTP (with protections for operators)

January 20, 20262 mins read

The latest Nym Improvement Proposal (NIP) 6 passed operator governance voting last month, and the results are now live.

As per the proposal, the Nym network has updated its exit policy to permit ports 22021, 3478, 3480, 3484, 587, and 465. Importantly, this allows users to use important third party services like WhatsApp calls, Session Messenger, and messaging via email clients using SMTP ports while having rate limiting for spam protections.

You can see the details of the NIP 6 proposal and stay updated on Nym operator governance on the Nym Forum.

The results of NIP-6

Ports 22021, 3478, 3480, 3484, 587, and 465 are now permitted by the Nym exit policy.

As of 20 January 2026, 90% of NymVPN gateways have updated to the latest software which permits access to the new ports (393 of the 713 total nodes in the network, 427 are configured as gateways).

NIP proposals are voted on through the Governator app where you can check out all the previous proposals

Rate limiting for SMTP port 465

SMTP port 465 is a TCP port typically used for encrypted email clients such as Thunderbird, Outlook, and some mobile apps.

During the operator governance vote, some operators raised concerns about opening the SMTP port due to the risks of handling potential spam traffic distributed through email clients. To address these concerns, Nym team decided to test and implement a rate limiting measure to better protect operators.

What is Session Messenger?

Session Messenger is a private, decentralized, open source messaging app. It is one of the only messaging apps to offer built in metadata protection, making it a trusted Nym ally in the fight against surveillance. Try it out!