Messengers that work without the Internet

In 2016, the UN Council named the right to access the Internet as one of the inalienable human rights. But when the throne begins to swing under the dictator, he is ready to do anything to retain power. Including — to turn off the network.

Right now in Belarus desperate confrontation unfolds. Hundreds of thousands of citizens in many cities of the country take to the streets, defending their freedom and dignity. To prevent them, the authorities in every possible way spoil the work of the Internet. Communication has not yet been completely disabled, but since yesterday, many users from Belarus have been complaining about the inaccessibility of many resources, including social networks. Even the unsinkable Telegram works intermittently. So the regime is trying to prevent the protesters from exchanging information and coordinating their actions. However, there are a number of instant messengers that work even with the Internet turned off.

Bridgefy

Bridgefy is a standalone messenger marketed by developers as a communication tool at music festivals, sporting events, or places where there is simply no connection. However, the application has long been chosen by the protesters. It became especially popular in 2019 during the protests in Hong Kong.

The principle of operation of the offline messenger is extremely simple. Bridgefy communicates via Bluetooth with other smartphones running the app. Three operating modes are supported.

The first is a direct communication mode between two users. Bluetooth messaging is possible within a radius of 100 meters. To communicate, users must be in each other’s contact list.

The second is network mode. In this case, two users exchange messages using Bridgefy to relay other users. So, user A can write to user B using user B’s smartphone as a repeater. In this case, the transmission range of the message is increased to 200 meters. A chain can contain an unlimited number of users. It is important to note that relay users cannot read other people’s messages.

The third is the broadcast mode. In this mode, the user can send a message to all Bridgefy users within 100 meters around him, even if they are not in his contact list. It’s the perfect tool for quickly sharing news or tactical guidance in a crowd.

In the presence of the Internet, Bridgefy can be used as a regular messenger.

Bridgey for Android, iOS

Signal Offline Messenger

Signal Offline Messenger is vaguely similar to Bridgefy, but has a number of features. The main difference is that the app uses Wi-Fi instead of Bluetooth to communicate. Because of this, Signal Offline is better suited for transferring large media files between a group of users. But there are no relay and broadcast modes.

Signal Offline Messenger for Android.

Rumble

Rumble is an open source standalone microblogging application. It allows you to chat and share photos without using the Internet, via WiFi or Bluetooth. There is a multicast mode that allows you to send information to all devices within the range of Wi-Fi. The developers themselves claim that the application can be used to create an impromptu infrastructure where the Internet is not available or is carefully controlled.

Rumble is not distributed through app stores, but as an APK file that needs to be downloaded from the developers’ website and uploaded to the smartphone’s memory manually. You can download the APK file for Android from here.

FireChat

Another broadcast app that protesters have long loved. The application does not involve one-on-one communication, you can only communicate in public chats. The message is sent to all users who are in the same chat room as the sender. For communication, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are used, the direct range is about 60 meters.

Unfortunately, at the moment Firechat is not available in the AppStore and Google Play, but by searching Google you can find many places where there is an APK file for manual installation. For example, here or here.

Briar

Briar is a decentralized messenger that runs inside the Tor network. At the same time, traffic is encrypted not only with standard end-to-end encryption, but also with the Tor protocol. The developers position this application as an ideal tool for civil activists and journalists working in dangerous conditions.

Of course, to access the Tor network, the smartphone must be connected to the regular Internet. But if there is no network at all, Briar can turn into a tool for transferring data between users via Bluetooth or Wi-Fi.

Briar for Android.