Support

Something not working? Start here

Answers to the things that actually go wrong, and a person to write to when they don't cover it.

Troubleshooting

A message won't send

Four things to check, in order. Most stuck messages clear at step two.

  1. 1. Is Bluetooth on?

    Airplane mode switches it off on some phones. Turn airplane mode on, then Bluetooth back on. That combination is the one we test for.

  2. 2. Is anyone in range?

    Open Nearby. If it's empty, there is nobody to hand the message to yet. Nobars will hold it, sealed, and deliver it when a phone comes past.

  3. 3. Move, or wait

    One hop is about a city block outdoors and much less through concrete. Walking twenty metres toward open air does more than restarting the app.

  4. 4. Check the receipt

    A single tick means a relay took it. Two means the phone it was addressed to has it. A clock means it's queued, which is normal and not an error.

Common questions

Answers, in the usual order

Getting started

Do I need an account?

No. No phone number, no email, no password. Pick a name the first time you open Nobars and you're chatting. Nothing to recover means nothing to leak.

How do I add someone?

Stand next to them, open Add friend, and scan the code on their screen. That ties the chat to that exact phone, which is why nobody can impersonate them later.

Can I use it on two phones?

Not yet. An identity lives on one device on purpose, because that's what makes an in-person scan mean something. Multi-device is on the roadmap and it's a hard problem.

Range and delivery

How far does it actually reach?

One hop is roughly a city block outdoors, and a lot less through walls or a dense crowd. Every phone running Nobars relays, so the practical range is the size of the crowd, not the range of your radio.

My message says queued. Is it lost?

No. Queued means nobody who can carry it has come past yet. It stays sealed on your phone for twelve hours and goes out the moment a peer appears. You'll get a receipt when it lands.

Does it work in airplane mode?

Yes, that's the point. Turn airplane mode on, then switch Bluetooth back on, and Nobars carries on. It's the easiest way to prove to yourself that it works.

Battery and background

How much battery does it use?

About 3–5% over a full day of normal use in our field tests. Nobars uses Bluetooth Low Energy and listens in short bursts rather than continuously, and it scans less when there are already plenty of peers around.

Does it work with the screen off?

Yes. Nobars keeps relaying and receiving in the background. iOS gives background Bluetooth apps less airtime, so delivery can be a few seconds slower than with the app open.

Privacy and safety

Can a relay read my message?

No. Private messages are end-to-end encrypted before they leave your phone. The phones that pass them along carry a sealed envelope with a hop count on it and nothing else.

What about rooms?

Rooms are public to everyone in range, and the app says so every time you open a new one. There's no fixed set of recipients to encrypt to. Treat a room like talking out loud in a crowd.

How do I block someone?

Open their chat or their card in Nearby and choose Block. Blocking is tied to the device, not the name, so changing a nickname doesn't undo it. Your phone still relays their sealed traffic for other people, which is what keeps the mesh working.

How do I delete everything?

You tab, one switch: Delete everything. It wipes your identity, your chats and your models from the device immediately. There's no copy anywhere else, so there's nothing left to ask us to remove.

Still stuck

Write to a person

There's no ticket system and no bot. Mail reaches the people who build the app, and we answer within two working days.

Found a bug in the protocol, or something that looks like a security issue? Mark it URGENT in the subject and it goes to the top of the pile.

Ready before the signal isn't

Install now, Nobars works the second you open it.