Messaging that works with no signal
Festivals, stadiums, the Underground, mountains, power cuts. When the network gives up, PIING Nearby keeps your messages moving phone to phone over Bluetooth, through other PIING phones nearby. No internet, no SIM, no mast needed.
What works with no signal
Messages
One-to-one and group chats keep going over Bluetooth, sealed so only the people in the chat can read them, hopping through other PIING phones to reach people further away.
Photos
A small copy of a photo, enough for “this is where we are”.
Walkie-talkie
Short voice clips to a friend nearby.
SOS
Alert every PIING phone in range with your name and location. Say “Hey Siri, PIING SOS” or use the Action button. It doesn't replace 999 or 112: call them first if you can.
Event chats
An event's no-signal chat is sealed so only people in the event can read it, while every PIING phone helps carry it.
Automatic
Nearby turns on by itself when your signal drops and goes off again once you're back online.
How it works
- Open a chat with a friend once while you're online: PIING swaps the keys that keep Nearby messages private.
- When the signal goes, PIING finds other PIING phones over Bluetooth.
- Your message is sealed so only your friend can read it, then passed phone to phone (up to 5 hops) until it reaches them.
- Phones in between can't read it. When it arrives, you get a tick.
Questions
Does it need Wi-Fi or data? No. Nearby uses Bluetooth, phone to phone.
How far does it reach? Bluetooth reaches roughly 10 to 50 metres; each PIING phone in between extends it.
Is it private? Yes. Messages are end-to-end encrypted and the phones carrying them can't read them. Nearby doesn't need our servers; once you're back online, one-to-one messages also sync the normal way, still end-to-end encrypted. Event no-signal chats stay on the phones.
Does it cost anything? No. Messaging, calls, Nearby and SOS are free.