Internet services were withdrawn by telecom operators in certain areas in Delhi amid Citizenship (Amendment) Act 2019 (CAA) protests. This led to people getting cut-off from their families due to data and broadband shutdown. Amid such a situation, an offline messaging app gained immense popularity. The app is called Bridgefy, and it works without internet! Here's how you can use the app to communicate.
Bridgefy basically relies on Bluetooth technology to send and receive messages. The app became popular during the anti-government protests in Hong Kong, China earlier this year. Now, the app is trending among Twitter users as the CAA protests intensified in New Delhi.
On the technical side, the app creates a mesh broadcasting network that allows users to send and receive messages. However, the app allows a private chat between two users only within the range of 100 metres. Mesh network basically means that the messages hop from one user's phone to the other and ultimately reaches the receiver.
The app not only allows private conversations but also provides an option of broadcasting a message. The message can then reach multiple users in a range at once even if they are not on the sender's contact list. Apart from text messages, users can send offline ads, sounds, game moves as well as locations.
Bridgefy app is available on both iOS and Android platforms. Users can simply download the app by heading over to the Google Play Store or Apple App Store on Android and iPhone respectively.