NTsocial + MeshLink Internet · BLE Mesh · Direct Wi-Fi · LoRa

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 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.

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 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 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 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 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.