A new mobile messaging app called FireChat which allows smartphones to connect to each other directly in close proximity without requiring cellular service or Internet connections has launched for Android users.
Already available on iOS devices, where it has hit over a million downloads, the hyperlocal messaging app let users chat over Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections, with developer Open Garden claiming that the network gets better with the addition of every new user.
"We trying to create networks built by the people for the people," Mich Benoliel, CEO of Open Garden, said of the company’s service.
The new Android version of FireChat makes use of multihop mesh networking technology, allowing users to communicate with other local Android FireChat users. However the iOS version is based on Apple’s new multipeer connectivity framework for iOS 7, allowing users to contact other iPhone and iPad devices.
The application also comes with a global mode that runs over an internet connection, making it a potenitally huge chatroom for consumers all around the world.
Similar to photo-sharing app Snapchat, any conversations exchanged through FireChat disappear immediately after the app is closed, ensuring the identity of all users is protected.
