BridgeLink is a decentralized mesh messaging app that uses WiFi Aware to send end-to-end encrypted messages — no internet, no cell towers, no servers. Just people connecting directly.
A new paradigm for private communication
BridgeLink doesn't use the internet at all. Messages travel directly between devices using WiFi Aware technology, forming a peer-to-peer mesh network. There are no servers to hack, no metadata to harvest, no accounts to create.
When your recipient isn't nearby, other BridgeLink users automatically relay your encrypted messages through the mesh. Each device becomes a node in the network, extending range far beyond a single WiFi Aware connection.
You can only add contacts by being physically near them (within 5 meters). This isn't a limitation — it's a feature. It guarantees you know exactly who you're talking to. No friend-of-friend requests, no strangers.
Anyone who values genuine privacy: activists, journalists, festival-goers, remote communities, emergency responders, or anyone in situations where traditional infrastructure is unavailable or untrustworthy.
WiFi Aware mesh networking explained
BridgeLink uses WiFi Aware (Neighbor Awareness Networking) to discover nearby devices. Each device runs both PUBLISH and SUBSCRIBE sessions simultaneously, creating a robust discovery mesh.
When adding a contact, you appear as a random 3-word name (e.g., "apple-bridge-cloud") to prevent billboard attacks. After connecting, both users verify a 4-digit PIN to confirm identity. Only then are real usernames revealed.
Messages are end-to-end encrypted and broadcast to nearby peers. If your recipient is nearby, they get it directly. Otherwise, relay nodes carry it through the mesh until it reaches them — even days later.
BridgeLink is "honest about uncertainty." Messages stay as "Queued" until the recipient actually confirms receipt with a cryptographic ACK. No false "Delivered" statuses — you always know the real state.
Messages hop from device to device until they reach their destination
Everything you need for truly private communication
Every message is encrypted using ECDH key exchange. Relay nodes can forward your messages but can never read them. Cryptographic signatures verify message authenticity.
Messages are delivered directly when your contact is nearby, or relayed through the mesh network. You always see the actual delivery method: Direct, Mesh, or Queued.
Create encrypted group conversations. Groups use their own key pair, and unknown senders appear anonymized until you add them as contacts — encouraging real-world connections.
Turn your device into a mesh supernode. Hub mode forwards to 30 peers (vs 10 normal), stores 30MB of relay data, and can run automatically overnight while charging.
Physically carry messages for your contacts. Doubles storage capacity to 200 messages and prioritizes delivery to your contacts' recipients. Be a human relay node.
Protect the app with PIN, TOTP authenticator codes, or biometric unlock. Auto-lock on screen off, intruder photo capture, and screenshot blocking keep your data safe.
Export encrypted backups protected with Argon2id + AES-256-GCM. Restore on a new device with your password and 32-character backup code. ICE contacts are automatically notified.
Intelligent power management with AlarmManager-based scheduling. Wake locks reduced by 75%, running at approximately 1.2x normal battery drain with full mesh functionality.
Multiple layers of protection by design
All messages are encrypted using ECDH (Elliptic Curve Diffie-Hellman) key exchange. Messages can only be decrypted by the intended recipient. Relay nodes transport ciphertext they cannot read.
Your identity private keys are encrypted at rest using AES-256-GCM via the Android Keystore. The master key never leaves the secure hardware (TEE/StrongBox), protecting against root extraction and forensic analysis.
During pairing, users appear as random 3-word names generated from a 2048-word list (8.5 billion combinations). This prevents bad actors from broadcasting phone numbers or URLs as usernames.
An automatic graduated penalty system that detects and handles bad actors without user intervention. Points accumulate for protocol violations, with penalties escalating from warnings to permanent bans.
Encrypted group conversations with a unique privacy model
Each group has its own EC key pair shared among members. Messages are encrypted using ECDH between the sender's private key and the group's public key, ensuring only group members can read content.
Messages from unknown senders appear as truncated IDs (e.g., "D4F2A9...F9G7B2") with an "Add to view messages" prompt. This creates a natural incentive to meet people in person before seeing their messages.
Group messages are delivered to active members within seconds. Members who don't come online within 1 hour of message delivery may miss messages — a deliberate "shadow-ban" that discourages lurking and encourages engagement.
Two-tier system: Ignore (local, hide messages from specific members) and Remove (network-wide, creator only, propagated to all members for 7 days).
Comprehensive protection for your data and identity
Multiple authentication methods to protect your conversations:
Choose how your messages are transmitted based on your privacy needs:
FLAG_SECURE prevents screenshots and screen recording of the app, keeping conversations private even from screen capture tools.
Option to hide sender names in notifications, so passers-by can't see who's messaging you from your lock screen.
Backups use Argon2id key derivation + AES-256-GCM encryption. Both a password and 32-character backup code are required for restoration.
Emergency SOS button notifies your ICE (In Case of Emergency) contacts. ICE contacts are also automatically notified when you restore from a backup.
Extend the network and carry messages further
Transform your device into a mesh network supernode that actively helps messages reach their destinations.
Set your device to automatically become a relay hub during configured hours when plugged in to charge. Perfect for supporting the mesh while you sleep.
Be a human relay node. Carry messages for your contacts by physically traveling between locations. Ideal for bridging gaps in the mesh where people are far apart.
BridgeLink continuously monitors network health with signal bars that measure peer count and connection staleness. Session health checks run every 90-300 seconds, with automatic teardown and rebuild if WiFi Aware enters a zombie state.
Complete walkthrough of every setting and option
The main settings page provides quick access to your profile, network performance monitoring, and app information.
Your display name visible to contacts. Set during initial setup. This is the name others see in their contact list and chat screens.
Real-time display of your mesh network statistics including connected peers, messages relayed, and delivery success rates. The signal bar indicator provides at-a-glance network health.
App version information and acknowledgments.
Customize the look and feel of BridgeLink.
Switch between light and dark themes. The app respects Material Design 3 guidelines with appropriate contrast ratios in both modes.
Adjust message text size for comfortable reading. Useful for accessibility or personal preference.
Toggle helpful tips and explanations throughout the app. Useful when learning BridgeLink's features; can be disabled once familiar.
The most comprehensive settings page with full control over your app's security posture.
Enable/disable the app lock. When enabled, requires authentication to access the app.
Use fingerprint as an alternative to PIN/TOTP for faster unlocking. Requires a primary authentication method to be set first.
Require authentication before accessing settings. Prevents unauthorized configuration changes.
Add a second factor using any TOTP authenticator app (Google Authenticator, Authy, etc.). Generates 6-digit codes that rotate every 30 seconds.
Configure when the app automatically locks: on screen off, when leaving the app, or after a period of inactivity (Immediate / 1m / 5m / 15m / 30m / Never).
Hide sender names in notifications so passers-by can't see who's messaging you from the lock screen.
Enable FLAG_SECURE to block screenshots and screen recording of the app.
Silently captures a front-camera photo on failed unlock attempts. View captured photos in a built-in gallery. Stores up to 50 photos with automatic cleanup.
Control how BridgeLink operates in the background and participates in the mesh network.
Choose between DIRECT_ONLY (max metadata privacy), MESH_ONLY (max location privacy), or BOTH (balanced, default). Each mode affects how your messages are transmitted through the network.
Enable to physically carry messages for your contacts. Doubles capacity to 200 messages and prioritizes delivery to your contacts' recipients.
Turn your device into a mesh supernode. Increases peer forwarding from 10 to 30 and relay storage from 10MB to 30MB. Rate limited at 100 messages per minute.
Configure automatic relay hub activation during specified hours when charging. Choose display mode (Stats / Digital Clock / Analog Clock) and theme.
Fine-tune how aggressively BridgeLink maintains background connections. Balances between reliability and battery consumption.
Securely backup and restore your BridgeLink data.
Export an encrypted backup file containing your identity, contacts, and message history. Protected with Argon2id key derivation and AES-256-GCM encryption. You'll need both your password and a generated 32-character hex backup code to restore.
Import a previous backup file to restore your identity and data on a new device. Requires both the original password and 32-character backup code. ICE (In Case of Emergency) contacts are automatically notified when you restore.
Emergency button that sends an alert to all your designated ICE contacts. Designed for situations where you need immediate help from trusted contacts.
Diagnostic and development tools for power users.
View the unified debug log showing all system events, message routing, peer connections, and protocol activity. Useful for troubleshooting connectivity issues.
Monitor the outbox queue with detailed statistics on pending, sent, and failed messages. Shows batch timing and delivery type breakdowns.
View the reputation metrics dashboard showing all tracked peers, their violation points, and current penalty status. Includes an interface to unban peers who were incorrectly flagged.
Re-run the initial setup walkthrough. Useful if you want to review the app's introduction or show it to someone else.
Protocol constants and system constraints
Available for Android devices with WiFi Aware support
The recommended way to install BridgeLink. Get automatic updates and verified builds from the official store.
Get it on Google Play Requires Android 8.0+ with WiFi AwareDownload the APK directly for sideloading. Ideal when the Play Store is unavailable or you prefer manual installs.
Download APK V1 Release Candidate — See FAQ for sideloading infoxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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BridgeLink is a free, community-driven project. If you find it useful, consider supporting development:
No. BridgeLink uses WiFi Aware (Neighbor Awareness Networking), a peer-to-peer technology built into modern Android devices. It works entirely without internet, cell towers, Bluetooth, or any external infrastructure. Your phone's WiFi hardware communicates directly with nearby devices.
A single WiFi Aware connection reaches up to about 15 meters. However, through the mesh network, messages can hop up to 500 times and survive for 7 days, meaning they can travel as far as the chain of BridgeLink users extends. In a dense area like a campus or festival, messages can traverse significant distances.
No. All messages are end-to-end encrypted before they ever leave your device. Relay nodes transport ciphertext that they cannot decrypt. Only the intended recipient, who has the corresponding private key, can read the message content.
Physical proximity pairing (within 5 meters) is a deliberate security design. It ensures you always know exactly who you're adding — you can see them and verify their identity. This eliminates impersonation, catfishing, and social engineering attacks that plague server-based messaging apps. There are no friend requests from strangers.
BridgeLink is "honest about uncertainty." A message stays "Queued" until the recipient actually confirms receipt with a cryptographic acknowledgment (ACK). This means your recipient either hasn't been near a BridgeLink user who's carrying your message, or the mesh path hasn't connected yet. Messages persist for up to 7 days, so there's time for the mesh to deliver.
Currently, BridgeLink is Android-only. It requires WiFi Aware (Neighbor Awareness Networking), which is an Android technology. Apple has not implemented WiFi Aware in iOS, so iPhone support is not possible at this time.
Direct means the recipient was nearby and received your message directly from your device, confirmed by their ACK. Mesh means the message was relayed through one or more intermediate devices before reaching the recipient. Both are end-to-end encrypted and secure — the difference is just the path taken.
WiFi Aware has strict bandwidth constraints — messages are chunked into 140-byte pieces. The 500-character text limit and 1,200-byte batch size are designed to work reliably within these constraints. Sending media would require orders of magnitude more bandwidth and would be impractical over the mesh. Text-only keeps the network fast and efficient for everyone.
BridgeLink has been extensively optimized for battery life. Wake locks have been reduced by 75%, and the app uses AlarmManager-based scheduling with timed lock acquisition. Expect approximately 1.2x normal battery drain — a significant improvement from early versions that caused 2-3x drain.
BridgeLink is designed for situations where traditional infrastructure may be unavailable or untrustworthy — and that includes app stores. By offering a direct APK download for sideloading, we ensure you can always get BridgeLink even if you don't have access to the Google Play Store, if the Play Store is blocked in your region, or if you simply prefer not to use Google services. This is especially important for the privacy-conscious users and activists that BridgeLink is built for. To install the APK, you'll need to enable "Install from unknown sources" in your Android settings. The APK is the same build as the Play Store version — just a different distribution channel.
Yes, as long as you download it directly from this official website. The APK is the identical build to the Google Play Store version. We recommend only downloading BridgeLink from this website or the official Play Store listing — never from third-party APK sites. If in doubt, compare the cryptographic signature of the APK with the one published on the Play Store.