Bridgefy - Offline Messages 4+

Getting Better

With the app being overhauled in June, I wanted to take a second look. The app continues to look great and I assume works well (not been camping since Covid-19 hit). While the app is good for casual communication, you’ll want to remember that messages are not encrypted. Additionally the company does store your contact into on their servers. When I clicked to view their privacy policy, I was taken to a dead link. So I still have reservations with that functionality. That said, you can use the app in a “open broadcast” kind of way, which doesn’t require sharing any contact info. Which is nice. Reminds me of the old Nintendo DS pico-chat rooms. Could be fun / handy on planes, trains, ect

Developer Response ,

Hi there! Sorry you were experiencing issues. We updated our app in early June and got rid of some bugs, and now you don't need to verify with your phone number, and online messaging isn't supported anymore. We hope that you like this new version, and would appreciate a positive review!

It Works

I came back to this app after recent updates to see if it works now. They fixed the issues that were preventing devices from seeing each other over Bluetooth and I’m able to send and receive broadcast messages and start private conversations. The app’s functionality is still rudimentary, but the basic function works now! Pretty cool app idea.

Just “okay”

Works okay, but has some bugs. Start screen says to go to settings to verify your phone number, but no option in settings to do so. Research says phone number is no longer required, but clicking on a contact gives you a notice “this contact is not verified.” Also, no way to add contacts. Click + button, fill in details, save.... no contact listed. Would like to set this up for emergencies when cell service is unavailable, but definitely need to be able to add contacts to be useful for that. Also, quick testing of the range is limited to about 50 ft. That could be Bluetooth limitations, though.

Developer Response ,

Thanks for the feedback! We're actually publishing a new version in a few weeks that will have removed all of those pesky bugs. Looking forward to hearing what you think!