Public posts, channels, private messages, and images—online and nearby.
Everyday connection, built to go further
Two apps, on their own or together
NTsocial connects people over the internet and nearby offline mesh. NTsocial MeshLink handles Meshtastic radio messaging and management. Each works independently; together, they connect selected NTsocial channel text to the LoRa mesh.
Android, iOS & Windows · Internet and offline social networking
NTsocial
A social platform for public posts, channels, and private conversations. Cloudflare-powered internet messaging connects people across distance, while the native BLE mesh keeps nearby communication available without internet access.
Internet is on by default and can be turned off in Profile. Nearby BLE communication does not require MeshLink or a radio accessory.
- Social, across distance: Share public posts and images, reply in joined channels, and send private messages over the internet. Global People helps you find online users.
- Nearby, without internet: Bluetooth discovers and relays between participating devices. Compatible direct Wi-Fi speeds up history and attachment sync and supports approved nearby file transfers.
- Field tools: Offline maps, GPX and terrain data, live location, ATaK objects, and hiking teams. Internet or authenticated Wi-Fi carries full images; supported authenticated BLE links can fill in small images or author previews.
- Optional LoRa reach: Use MeshLink and compatible radios for eligible bound channel text and state. Images, avatars, audio, PTT, and file bytes do not travel over the NTsocial LoRa route.
Features vary by platform, device, and OS version. Wi-Fi Direct and the MeshLink gateway are Android features; Wi-Fi Aware and Coded PHY require supported hardware and system capabilities.
Android · Radio mesh
NTsocial MeshLink
A standalone Meshtastic app. Connect to radios over Bluetooth, send channel or direct text, view nodes, and manage channel, LoRa, security, and device settings. It runs with or without NTsocial installed.
Works on its own as a Meshtastic controller. Pair it with NTsocial when you want NTsocial channels to reach LoRa.
- Up to four active radios: Keep up to four Bluetooth radio connections active, and follow their channels, status, and unread activity together or per radio. Remembered devices do not occupy an active connection slot.
- Full radio control: Connect over Bluetooth, browse nodes, send channel and direct text, and manage radio, channel, LoRa, module, and security settings.
- NTsocial gateway: A local, app-authenticated bridge carries bound NTsocial text and supported state through the Meshtastic LoRa mesh.
- Open source: GPL-licensed, with on-device QR scanning and no analytics collected in the Android app.
Android 8.0 or later and a compatible Meshtastic radio are needed for LoRa. Set your permitted region before transmitting.
How messages travel
Four routes, one social platform
Use the internet to reach people far away, Bluetooth to connect nearby, direct Wi-Fi to sync faster, and optional LoRa for radio text. Each route has its own role and requirements.
- 01 · INTERNET
Connect across distance
Cloudflare-powered messaging carries public posts, eligible joined-channel conversations, private messages, and images over the internet. Pending Cloud work resumes and retained messages catch up when connectivity returns.
Internet messaging -
02 · BLE
Nearby text and relays
Nearby devices discover each other, exchange eligible messages, relay them, and fill gaps in history. BLE remains available when internet access fails, with no cellular service required.
Nearby mesh -
03 · WI-FI
On-demand speed
Compatible devices use direct Wi-Fi for faster history and attachment sync, or approved nearby file transfers. This nearby Wi-Fi link does not need an internet connection.
Direct transfer -
04 · MESHLINK / LORA
Long range over radio
MeshLink controls compatible Meshtastic radios and can extend chosen NTsocial channel text across the LoRa mesh.
Radio mesh
Offline delivery needs active compatible devices, Bluetooth permissions, and a reachable peer or relay path. Range and timing depend on device support, obstacles, participating nodes, and background limits. Full images use Internet or authenticated Wi-Fi; supported authenticated BLE links can repair small images or previews. LoRa does not carry images, audio, PTT, or file bytes.
Android · NTsocial 1.7.1 / MeshLink 1.0.9
See the apps. Follow the steps.
Explore the current Android interfaces with real phone screenshots, then open the illustrated guides for each task. These guides cover NTsocial 1.7.1 and NTsocial MeshLink 1.0.9 on Google Play.
NTsocial 1.7.1
Public, channels, and topics
Use the bottom tabs to move between Public, Channels, Map, People, and Profile. In Public, choose General or a topic board before posting or replying.
View illustrated steps →
NTsocial 1.7.1
People and private conversations
Filter nearby BLE and Internet users, open a public profile, and start a private conversation. The guide explains encryption, blocking, and supported file connections.
View illustrated steps →
NTsocial 1.7.1
Your identity and connections
Edit your profile and avatar, manage Internet and nearby Wi-Fi, and find identity recovery and contact backup controls. Keep recovery words private.
View illustrated steps →
MeshLink 1.0.9
Radios, channels, and LoRa text
Connect a Meshtastic radio, check its channel configuration, and send text. Follow the separate binding guide to connect a chosen NTsocial channel to a radio.
View illustrated steps →Screenshots show the Android app versions above. Available routes and controls depend on device support, permissions, and the connected radio. iOS and Windows interfaces may differ.
Release Notes
Historical release notes, describing features at the time of each release. For current behavior, use the NTsocial 1.7.1 and MeshLink 1.0.9 guides above. Voice-message and PTT controls may remain visible, but are not available communication routes in this version.
NTsocial arrives on Windows
The first Windows release of NTsocial is now available on Microsoft Store. Download NTsocial for Android, iOS, or Windows from the three official stores above. Features vary by platform and device.
NTsocial 1.6.6 — A new look, recoverable identity, organized conversations
This major Android update brings a refreshed reading and writing experience, wallet-style identity recovery, a Channel topic tree, and Public topic boards. NTsocial is also available for iOS via the App Store, with its own version numbering.
Highlights
- A refreshed visual system: Warm paper tones, serif headings, clearer text hierarchy, and restrained cards unify the app’s light and dark appearances. Compact headers and navigation give conversations more room.
- Reading and writing with context: Public and Channel posts open in a full-screen editor; replies keep the parent message in view. Closing the editor preserves the current session’s draft. Reading controls hide as you browse older posts and return when you reverse direction; accessibility reading keeps them visible.
- BIP-39 recoverable identity: New identities use a 12-word English recovery phrase, with import support for valid 12-, 15-, 18-, 21-, or 24-word English phrases without an additional passphrase. Compatible Android and iOS versions derive the same Peer ID and communication keys. Existing legacy identities can be kept.
- Channel topic trees: Members with a valid channel key can create tags in a three-level hierarchy. Expand, collapse, search, and follow a topic path into its own board. Unread counts are separated by topic, parent tags total their descendants, and existing conversations remain in General.
- Public topic boards: Public opens in General with a flat, searchable tag list and recent-topic browsing. A new topic enters the catalog when its first post is accepted. Each post, reply, and image belongs to one board; local blocking and per-board unread counts help you manage what you follow.
Recovery words restore identity and keys, not a full chat-history backup; NTsocial does not provide asset transfers or trading. New topic boards require updated clients. Channel tags currently support creation and browsing, without renaming, moving, deletion, or per-tag permissions. Custom topics are not projected into plain LoRa text.
NTsocial 1.5.9 — Internet social networking, native offline mesh
NTsocial combines Cloudflare-powered internet messaging with native BLE mesh in one social platform. Share across distance and keep nearby communication available without internet access.
What’s new
- Internet social messaging: Post, reply, and message across distance. Internet is on by default; Profile lets you turn it off independently of nearby Wi-Fi sync.
- Global People: Find nearby BLE peers and internet users in one list. Filter by connection source, view public profiles, and start a private conversation.
- Clearer shared images: Keep a lightweight preview for Bluetooth and receive a higher-quality image through an available supported path. Both appear within the same post.
- Pick up after reconnecting: Resume queued Cloud messages and catch up within the service’s retention period. Turning Internet back on does not bulk-upload posts created while that setting was off.
- Private-message protection: Internet private messages use automatic DM2 or a manually shared secret for end-to-end encryption. A changed pinned identity blocks sending instead of silently falling back to basic protection.
August 2026 — Nearby Wi-Fi and MeshLink
This earlier update expanded Bluetooth mesh with direct Wi-Fi transfers, private large-file sessions, and multi-radio MeshLink / Meshtastic support.
Highlights from that update
- Private Wi-Fi file links: Selected peers can approve a resumable direct session for large files with final integrity checks; file bytes never fall back to BLE or LoRa.
- Multi-radio MeshLink routes: Explicit endpoint-scoped bindings let NTsocial target the intended radio from up to four Meshtastic BLE endpoints registered in MeshLink.
- Faster history repair: Compatible direct-Wi-Fi paths accelerate eligible exact-history and attachment synchronization while BLE stays available as the baseline.
- Purpose-built media paths: Images, voice clips, and PTT stay on nearby phone transports; the NTsocial LoRa route focuses on bound text and supported state.
- BLE remains foundational: Discovery, live messaging, relays, synchronization fallback, and supported long-range Coded PHY continue to work without internet or carrier service.
NTsocial 1.3.0 Release Notes
NTsocial 1.3.0 introduces native Long Range connectivity, PTT voice calls, and the Mesh Pet feature. It also delivers a modernized private chat UI and critical fixes for profile synchronization and image quality.
Highlights
- Native Long Range & 2M PHY: Implemented Native Long Range (Coded PHY S=8) with Extended Advertising and aggressive utilization of LE 2M PHY for enhanced throughput.
- Voice & PTT: Added support for Audio Messaging and Bluetooth Push-to-Talk (PTT) voice calls.
- Mesh Pet: A new built-in companion feature where your pet grows based on your contribution to mesh relaying.
- Visual & Image Improvements: Redesigned Private Chat UI with a modern bubble layout. Optimized image compression logic to ensure screenshots and small images remain clear.
- Stability & Fixes: Resolved empty Author Card issues for remote peers, fixed persistent map state (location/zoom), and eliminated redundant data encoding overhead.
NTsocial 1.2.0 Release Notes
NTsocial 1.2.0 expands ATaK capabilities, improves channel handling, fixes private image messaging, and upgrades map tooling for field coordination.
Highlights
- ATaK foundation: Implemented ATaK basics for real-time geographic sharing of teams and resources.
- Channel name handling: Added compatibility and distinction for Channels with identical names.
- Private image fix: Resolved an issue where images could not be sent in private messages.
- Map imports: The map interface now supports .style files, DEM hillshading, and GPX track imports.
- Contours and objects: Added map contour lines; ATaK channels can show real-time positions for all members and support map objects for managing resources, dangers, and targets.
NTsocial 1.1.0 Release Notes
NTsocial 1.1.0 builds on the 1.0.0 release. Beyond fixing major issues in image handling, message sync, and navigation, it introduces encrypted channels, offline maps, and ATaK-style mission channels to keep field operations stable and reliable.
Fixes and improvements
- Post image orientation: Attached images now follow the original rotation metadata from Google Photos, preventing sideways or upside-down displays.
- Image garbling fix: Resolved an issue where some devices displayed raw base64 strings or gibberish instead of the image; all supported images now decode and render correctly.
- Message sync efficiency: Fixed a flaw in the sync routine, greatly improving performance in multi-node meshes with fewer duplicate sends and less delay.
- Launch screen button placement: On certain screen ratios the main button could be pushed off-screen; layout and safe-area spacing have been adjusted.
- Bottom navigation tweaks: Removed the center “DM” button whose behavior was confusing. To start a DM, tap a person in the People view; the center slot now holds a new “Map” button.
- Chinese channel names: Fixed a severe bug where non-encrypted channels with Chinese names could show mixed messages from other channels due to decoding errors.
New features
- Offline maps: Added import and display support for offline map files. Style files and contour overlays are not yet supported; visual quality will keep improving.
- Encrypted channels: Added a dedicated channel type that uses 256-bit symmetric encryption (AES-256-GCM) for both storage and transport, reducing risk if a device is lost or nodes are intercepted.
- ATaK-style mission channels: Added encrypted channels for mountaineering and search-and-rescue teams. Members continuously share GPS coordinates, relayed across nodes to overcome single-link range limits and keep everyone’s position updated on the map.
- Profile photo upload: Users can upload a personal headshot while keeping the colorful QR-like geometric avatar to identify devices and deter impersonation.
- Image viewer and zoom: In addition to matching Google Photos orientation, tapping a post image opens a viewer with pinch-zoom and panning to inspect details.
Coming next
- Map styles and contour lines: The next release will continue improving map rendering with style files and contour overlays to deliver essential topographic features for hiking.
- Mission markers and hazard pins: ATaK-style channels will explore GIS markers so members can tag water sources, fire points, supply drops, and other resources or hazards; timestamps and coordinates will sync to all members and show on the map.
- Radio mesh integration: Evaluating interoperability with open-source radio meshes like Meshtastic so NTsocial can serve as their client or companion tool.
NTsocial 1.0.0 Release Notes
NTsocial 1.0.0 is officially live. This first production release builds on the test builds with foundational feature upgrades, stronger security, and smoother everyday experiences.
Highlights
- Image attachments: Posts now support a single image attachment. The client compresses uploads to sub-11 KB WebP files before sending; text is transmitted first to prioritize Bluetooth bandwidth, and the UI detects and loads the image once delivery finishes.
- Local storage encryption: All messages—public, channel, and direct—are encrypted with AES-256-GCM before they are written to device storage. Keys are safeguarded by Android KeyStore, preserving privacy for message history at rest.
- Granular notifications: A rebuilt notification service delivers dedicated controls for Public, Channels, and DMs. Each surface has its own toggle, and foreground awareness automatically mutes notifications for the conversation you are currently viewing.
- Internationalization support: NTsocial now ships in English, Traditional Chinese, and Japanese. Pick your preferred language during onboarding or in the profile view.
- New splash screen: A refreshed abstract illustration replaces the static entry screen, aligning the launch experience with the NTsocial brand.
Customer Feedback
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Start with the current guides
NTsocial 1.7.1 · Android overview
Five core tabs:
- Public: Browse General and topic boards, post updates, reply, and manage locally blocked topics.
- Channels: Create or join channels, open their topic trees, and manage members, encryption, and optional radio bindings.
- Map: Open offline maps, GPX tracks, and ATaK team locations and objects.
- People: Find nearby BLE and Internet users, filter by source, view public profiles, and start private conversations.
- Profile: Edit your public profile and avatar; manage identity recovery, contact backups, Internet, nearby Wi-Fi, and optional gateways.
Internet: On by default for Public, eligible joined channels, and private messages. Turn it off in Profile to stop this device’s Cloud activity; existing pending jobs wait until you turn it on again.
Offline communication: BLE discovers nearby peers and carries eligible text, bounded state, and relays. Compatible authenticated BLE peers can also repair small images or author previews. Direct Wi-Fi can accelerate history and full-image sync.
Nested replies: Open a message’s reply thread to read and respond in context.
On-demand Wi-Fi acceleration: Compatible peers can speed exact-history and attachment sync, while two selected users can approve a private, resumable direct-Wi-Fi session for large files. BLE remains the baseline for discovery, live messages, and fallback.
Unread and local cleanup: Jump through unread messages one by one. Long-press, then swipe a message halfway to remove the local copy; other devices are unaffected.
Images and audio: Full images are prepared within a 350,000-byte limit and use Internet or authenticated Wi-Fi. Supported authenticated BLE peers can supply small images or author previews; a preview is not the full image. Voice-message and PTT controls may remain visible, but are not available communication routes in this version. Existing local audio history remains readable.
Personalization
- Nickname: Choose a nickname so people can easily recognize you.
- Avatar: Keep the Peer ID–based geometric identity image or choose a personal avatar in Profile. Avatar images use Internet or authenticated Wi-Fi.
- Public profile: Publish only information you want other users to see. Internet People can show your public text profile to online users beyond nearby BLE.
- Friends & block: Add friends from the People tab—even if they go offline, your settings remain. Block users you prefer not to interact with.
- Long Range Mode: On supported phones, both peers can opt in to request bidirectional Bluetooth Coded PHY (S=8); standard discovery continues in parallel.
- NTsocial MeshLink: Maintain up to four active Meshtastic Bluetooth radio connections; remembered devices do not occupy a slot. Bind each NTsocial text/state route to the intended radio endpoint.
- High-speed transfer settings: Profile controls compatible Wi-Fi history sync and private file links. Hardware and Android support determine which direct-Wi-Fi mode is available.
Notes
- Privacy: Public posts are public. Internet private messages require automatic or manual end-to-end encryption. Channel protection depends on the channel type and keys. People presence does not verify someone’s real-world identity. Never share your recovery phrase.
- Permissions: NTsocial guides you through Bluetooth, nearby Wi-Fi, location where Android requires it, notifications, microphone/camera as used, and battery optimization exceptions.