Briar

Briar Project

About this app

Briar is a messaging app designed for activists, journalists, and anyone else who needs a safe, easy and robust way to communicate. Unlike traditional messaging apps, Briar doesn't rely on a central server - messages are synchronized directly between the users' devices. If the Internet's down, Briar can sync via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi or memory cards, keeping the information flowing in a crisis. If the Internet's up, Briar can sync via the Tor network, protecting users and their relationships from surveillance.

The app features private messages, groups and forums as well as blogs. Support for the Tor network is built into the app. Everything you do in Briar is only stored on your device unless you decide to share it with other users.

There are no advertisements and no tracking. The source code of the app is completely open for anyone to inspect and has already been professionally audited. All releases of Briar are reproducible, making it possible to verify that the published source code exactly matches the app published here. Development is done by a small non-profit team.

Privacy policy: https://briarproject.org/privacy

User manual: https://briarproject.org/manual

Source code: https://code.briarproject.org/briar/briar

Ratings and reviews

Best Offline Messaging app!! The fact you can communicate through Bluetooth only really helps when service is bad in a friend group or on a cruise ship with family. The user interface is easy to use, and you can have multiple messages at once. I love that you can send emoji's and photos by Bluetooth only and or through wifi. It helped my friends and family stay connected during a cruise. I wish they added a walkie-talkie voice note feature but it's great so far.

It only works within a single connection mode. If you enable both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, you can chat fine. But, if you disable one of them on one device, the connection is lost. It doesn't automatically switch to the other connection as expected. Even after re-enabling both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, the connection remains broken, so the best approach right now is to enable only Bluetooth

The only negative is the high battery drainage, but there is no other app so privacy focused. I also like the minimalist approach.

What’s new

* Update translations
* Upgrade Tor to 0.4.8.22