Have you heard of an app called FireChat? It’s an app where you can communicate with people online without Wi-Fi, mobile data, or signal. Yes, you read it right! You don’t have to have Wi-Fi, mobile data, or even a signal on your phone to stay connected and chat with your friends and other people on the grid! It’s a very simple and easy-to-handle app. And it is, as some experts say, one of the future apps!
When was it released?
The app was released in 2015 by one of the companies from the US called “Open Garden,” based in San Francisco. The app had its first signs of fame and popularity when people started to get scared that the government would turn off Wi-Fi and cellular networks in their country back in 2015. The first and main purpose of the app was to promote some events that were happening near you or in the area where you are, events such as festivals, live gigs, concerts, discussions, debates, etc.
How does this app work?
It does work when your Wi-Fi or data is turned off and if you don’t have a signal! The app is based on peer-to-peer connections via Bluetooth between devices. You can turn your data and Wi-Fi off right after downloading it! The app can only be used and will work if the people you’re chatting with is not that far from you (the person should be within 100 feet from you). Since this is a peer-to-peer connection, chat users can stay anonymous and don’t have to say anything about their identity in the app. Of course, they can if they want to.
How to use it?
It won’t be that hard to understand how to use the app. You post a message that everyone can see. Therefore, the message is public. It will disappear from the servers after three hours, and you (and others on the server) will no longer be able to see or rewrite it. The problem with the app is that there is no option for a private chat. Which repels many users, and that’s one of its biggest flaws. People don’t want to publicize their conversations so everyone can read them. This technology will for sure need more upgrades and updates because many users have some complaints. Besides the no private chat option, some users say that they were not able to connect to people that were near them. Even if they were standing next to each other and both had their Bluetooth turned on, they still didn’t manage to connect to it. So that’s a bummer.
One of the great things about the app is that you do not need to log in or register, you just need to download the app from the store, and you can immediately start chatting. You don’t need to give in any information about yourself.
It’s currently only available on IOS devices. We hope it’ll also be available for Android and Windows users so we can try it out.
Even though this kind of app is good, it also has its downsides. Many people will and are posting harmful or offensive content as messages. Make sure you are using the app and always stay alert. You can never know what kind of person is behind a message!
We hope this article helped you with the app. And most importantly, I informed you everything you needed to know about it.
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