01 · Discovery
Automatic nearby discovery
Friends and new devices appear as their phones become reachable. Signal states make movement and range understandable at a glance.
Android · Direct device-to-device
Send a signal.
No signal required.
Message nearby friends when mobile networks are absent, overloaded, or simply irrelevant. Offgrid lets Android phones find and contact each other directly over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.
- Version
- 0.4.1
- Requires
- Android 8+
- Size
- 13.0 MB
- Internet
- Not required
Alex
Sam
Maya
AM
Alex is nearbyStrong signal · friend
1 message waitingSends when Noor returns
FestivalsCampingCrowded eventsNetwork outagesNearby friends
How it works
The shortest path is phone to phone.
Google Nearby Connections coordinates Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, and Wi-Fi radios. Offgrid handles discovery, identity, messages, photos, delivery acknowledgements, and retry queues on top.
Your phone
Advertises a local signal
Bluetooth + Wi-Fi
Friend's phone
Connects when in range
Made for the moment
Quietly dependable nearby messaging.
No accounts, feeds, channels, or configuration maze. Open it, see who is reachable, and send what matters.
02 · Queue
Messages that wait
Send while someone is away. The message stays on your phone and retries when that person returns to range.
Waiting03 · Friends
People you recognize
Friend requests, favorites, familiar names, and per-person alert preferences keep nearby contact intentional.
Available04 · Attention
Prominent alerts
Mark the people and messages that should cut through a loud venue without turning every contact into an alarm.
Urgent05 · Delivery
Direct messaging
Signed handshakes and application-level acknowledgements show when a message has reached and been saved by the other phone.
Delivered06 · Photos
Photos, phone to phone
Images are compressed locally, transferred directly, verified with SHA-256, and acknowledged only after the complete file is saved.
The Android app
A native utility, not a web wrapper.
Every screen is built in Jetpack Compose with the same Signal Minimal system used on this site.
Installation guide
Three steps to get off the network.
Offgrid is distributed as a signed APK. Android may ask you to allow installs from your browser the first time.
- 1
Download the APK
Use this page on your Android phone and save the current signed release.
- 2
Allow this source
If prompted, open Android settings and allow your browser to install this app. This permission can be turned off again immediately.
- 3
Install and grant nearby access
Open the file, install Offgrid, then allow Nearby devices, location, and notifications so discovery can work across Android versions.
Android 8+API level 26 or newer
Google Play servicesProvides Nearby Connections
No SIM requiredWorks on Wi-Fi-only phones
No internet requiredAfter the app is installed
Current signed release
Offgrid 0.4.1
Built for Android 8 and newer. The APK is signed with the Offgrid release key and verified in CI before publication.
- Version
- 0.4.1 code 5
- Released
- 12 July 2026
- APK size
- 13.0 MB
- SHA-256
cadc08278364c94fd33b247197c7a604fe90767b3e44c11e00074995b2514cc0
Questions, answered
FAQ
What range should I expect?
Range varies with the phones, radio conditions, walls, crowds, and interference. Bluetooth may cover a room or nearby area; a Wi-Fi connection can stretch farther in open space. Offgrid shows presence and signal state instead of promising a fixed distance.
Does Offgrid join or create a Wi-Fi network?
No access point is required. Google Nearby Connections negotiates the available Bluetooth and Wi-Fi device-to-device radios. Android may display Wi-Fi-related permission text, but you do not need to join the same router.
Why does it request nearby and location permissions?
Android's Bluetooth and Wi-Fi discovery APIs require these permissions, with the exact wording depending on Android version. Offgrid does not collect, store, or transmit GPS coordinates.
What does continuous discovery do to battery life?
Active radio discovery uses more power than an idle app. Offgrid uses the Nearby stack and a foreground service so Android can show and manage that ongoing work. For a long trip, pause or close it when you do not need nearby contact.
What happens to a queued message?
It remains on the sender's phone and is retried for its intended recipient. It is marked delivered only after that phone acknowledges that the message was accepted and persisted.
How are contacts and messages protected?
Each installation creates a P-256 identity in Android Keystore. Peers complete a signed, token-bound handshake before application data is accepted. Messages stay local and travel directly, but Offgrid is still an early release and has not undergone an independent security audit.
Release notes
What's in 0.4.1
- Automatic direct discovery over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi radios.
- Friend requests, knocks, favorites, and per-person alerts.
- Persistent conversations with queued retry and delivery acknowledgements.
- Direct photo transfer with progress, size limits, and SHA-256 verification.
- Light, dark, and system themes using the Signal Minimal design system.
Previous versions
This is the first public signed release. Future versions will remain available through the GitLab release archive with their original checksums.
Open release archive