You are the Internet

For the first time, you can communicate privately as a group, even if you don't have Internet access, cellular coverage or cellular data. "Offline private group messaging” is available in the new FireChat today. 

Creating a private group is as easy as composing a message. Simply select the people you wish to communicate with privately and send them a message. FireChat does the rest. 

Private messages are encrypted from end to end. Only the sender and the recipients can see the content of the private messages, or even be aware of their existence. Private groups can include up to 50 people. 

Offline private group messaging is particularly important for members of communities, staff of organizations, and first responders during emergencies. 

Communities around the world use FireChat to create their own free communications network, that does not require a signal or a data plan. For example, in the USA, people use it during large events, such as the Electric Forest music festival. In India, students use it as a resilient communications network. In the Philippines, media organizations such as GMA News use it to broadcast news, weather and traffic alerts to people whom they could not reach otherwise. 

With offline private group messaging, it is now easier than ever to use FireChat to stay in touch with your fam, tribe, squad, team, posse, village... and start something - together.

FireChat is going back to school!

We're proud to announce that we are joining forces with the Ateneo Social Computing Science Laboratory, a pioneering research center for disaster management in the Philippines. The laboratory is a part of the Department of Information Systems and Computer Science at Ateneo de Manila. It hosts eBayanihan, an initiative of the Republic of the Philippines Department of Science and Technology - to improve disaster preparedness and response through innovative uses of social media and technology.

Ateneo de Manila is one of the oldest and largest universities in the Philippines. It was founded in 1859, which makes it exactly 78 times older than FireChat. It also one of the most recognised universities in Asia with 20,000 bright studious minds under its roofs. 

The university occupies a beautiful sprawling campus on the edge of an active seismic fault, the Marikina Valley Fault System. Since the Philippines are situated both on the mighty Pacific Ring of Fire and on the westward Pacific typhoon track, disaster preparedness is an everyday concern for science researchers and for all Filipinos. 

In the next few months, we will be working with faculty and students to share the "people's network" on FireChat peer-to-peer technology with communities across the country.

Experts in disaster risk reduction acknowledge that communication in times of natural disaster is vital, "as important as food and shelter”. Efficient warning systems, timely communication and early action all mean that more lives can be saved even in the worst emergencies. 

Yet, all existing communication solutions from SMS to mobile apps are dependent on centralised cell networks or the Internet to function. When networks are congested or destroyed, as is often the case during natural disasters, back-up solutions are expensive (satellite phones) or require expert training (ham radios). 

Thankfully, a new application of our technology can help close this gap. FireChat Alerts was designed for organizations (government agencies, NGOs and select media). It functions as a large scale warning system that works even when cellular networks and Internet access are not available. 

We are honoured and grateful to be working with Ateneo de Manila on this first-of-the-world initiative to help make communities more resilient in their preparedness and response.

This short video illustrates how FireChat Alerts works. For more information please email us at [email protected].

Don't miss the biggest and most awaited Color and Music Festival in the Philippines. Here’s your chance to win a pair of VIP tickets. So you can bring a friend too.

Here is how:

1. Get FireChat on your smartphone (Android or iPhone)

2. Follow this link to the Chroma2016 chatroom: http://firech.at/Chroma2016

3. Invite your friends to the Chroma2016 chatroom via Twitter and/or Facebook (with the same link: http://firech.at/Chroma2016)

4. Follow FireChat & Chroma Music Festival on Facebook and/or @firechat​app & @Chroma2016 on Twitter

That’s it. We hope to see you there!

With FireChat you can chat with your friends, even with no signal or no load. FireChat connects phones directly with one another and it’s completely free. 

The more people use FireChat, the better it works. That’s why we’re counting on you to get the word out.

See you at Chroma and on FireChat!

The FireChat team

Details:

- there will be two winners. 

- each winner get two VIP tickets

- winners will be announced on FireChat and Twitter on March 31st

- winners will be contacted via FireChat

- you must be over 18 and have a valid photo ID

To see how FireChat works, please check out this short video.

UPDATE: we now have enough people for these tests. Thank you.

We are a startup in San Francisco. 

Our technology enables people and communities to create their own free messaging network.

We are looking for people to do some simple tests in Berkeley next week. 

If you’d like to participate, please see details below. 

As a thank you, we will give you $100 in Amazon gift cards.

When: Tuesday March 8th between 1pm and 4pm (3 hours).

Where: Willard Park in Berkeley, CA (one block off Telegraph, 6 blocks from UC Berkeley)

Requirements: we are looking for people who...

- have a relatively recent Android phone 

- know how to turn on or off the WiFi and Bluetooth radios on a phone

If you fit the requirements, please follow this link to answer a few questions and apply. We will save your information for future tests.

Come and help people in your community, while working with a fun team, and earn a generous compensation.

We are looking for enthusiastic people to represent FireChat and help create a revolutionary free communications network in Manila. With FireChat, you can send messages from your phone even if you have no signal, no data or no load.

Sounds magical? Yes, it is - and a great way to remedy bad networks and expensive mobile data. Best of all, it’s a simple app for iOS and Android, and it’s completely free.

To apply, please read the details below and contact us via email at  [email protected] to apply

As a Network Leader, your responsibilities will be to:

- Help people and communities sign up for FireChat.

- Encourage them to invite all their friends and spread the word.

- Give us feedback about how to improve FireChat.

Requirements:

- You live in Intramuros, Quezon City, Mandaluyong, or Marikina.

- You have an iOS or Android phone with access to a cellular network.

- You are at ease with engaging people in conversation and working in teams.

FireChat has been featured many times in the BBC, Bloomberg, Rappler, ABS-CBN, CNN Philippines GMA News and The Inquirer. It was first used during the visit of Pope Francis to the Philippines in January 2015.

This is how FireChat works

We’re looking for a “go-getter”: a driven, high achieving, and resourceful person to help drive the adoption of FireChat and build “the people’s network” in the Philippines.

Built on new revolutionary technology, FireChat is an app for smartphones that allows people to communicate, even if they don’t have a network connection or data load. Communities around the world, from Taipei to Hong Kong, Paris, Moscow, Kuala Lumpur, Mumbai and Manila are using FireChat to create their own network. Since its launch in March 2014, FireChat has reached the top 10 among social networking app in 124 countries.

In 2015, FireChat was the recipient of the SXSW Innovation Award for Connecting People, the Financial Times Award for Boldness in Business and the Tech4 Resilience Award. Often called “the future of the Internet”, FireChat has been featured by The Financial Times, The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, The BBC, Rappler, ABS-CBN, GMA News, The Inquirer and many other news organizations around the world.

Responsibilities: Develop the best strategies and tactics to grow the adoption and usage of FireChat in the Philippines. This includes leading and managing a team of ambassadors who are responsible for growing FireChat’s adoption.

Qualifications

- Must live in Manila

- Experience marketing a service or mobile app in the Philippines

- Excellent communication skills. Fluent in English and Filipino

- Experience engaging with and developing communities

- Experience managing people and small teams

- Background in event management, non-profit sector and marketing communications are welcome.

Please send your resume and cover letter to [email protected]

A lot happened in 2015 as people and communities around the world embraced FireChat to overcome communications challenges. We’re also quite proud to have received 5 awards this year.

With our thanks and best wishes for 2016.

The FireChat team

2015 Highlights

Five awards

- SXSW Innovation Award - Financial Times Boldness in Business Award - Mashable Best Apps of all Time - Mashable Best Social Media Apps of all Time - Tech4Resilience Award

Historical events

- Philippines: Pope Francis’ visit (January) - Malaysia: the Bersih anti-corruption movement (August) - Venezuela: historical elections (December)

The "disaster-proof" app

- Ecuador: Cotopaxi volcano eruption (August) - Mexico: hurricane Patricia (October) - India: floods in Kashmir (April) and Chennai (December)

Reaching the unconnected masses

The #COP21 climate talks will start in four days. They are crucial to our future as they could well be the last chance for countries to agree on legally binding agreements before it’s too late. Organizations around the world have been working for years to make ordinary citizen voices heard during the event.

The ParisAgreement and members of the Climate Action Network are pioneering an instant platform for information-sharing on a global scale, including live behind-the-scenes updates from the official negotiations. This ‘Global Live Chat’ will take place on FireChat, a free mobile app that enables public debate on a large scale and with a whole new level of interactivity.

To join the global mobilisation on COP21 and make your voice heard, simply click on this link from your mobile.

FireChat creates an instant forum that is open to everyone and expands instantly to the entire world. Hundreds of thousands of people, from Taipei to Hong Kong, Moscow, and Kuala Lumpur have used it to support democracy. It has been called “the citizen’s network” because it’s a powerful tool for very large groups of people to accomplish their goals collectively. 

FireChat scales infinitely and lets tens of thousands of people share messages and pictures in real time. It is open to NGOs, journalists, campaigners and citizens everywhere in the world. The more people use it, the better it gets. It’s completely free. Simply share this link on email, SMS, social media, a blog post...and invite others to join: http://firech.at/ParisAgreement

iOS 9 is here. This means taco and burrito emojis, endless debates with our friends about which features they like the most, and... a brand new version of FireChat for iOS9, available today.

Our favorite feature is 3D Touch. We love it! Here is how it works.

You’ll now find shortcuts based on touch pressure including: 

"Quick Actions" for composing new messages and replying to friends directly from the start screen,

"Peek and Pop" for instant preview of the content of chatrooms, private conversations and URLs.

Here are some examples of Quick Actions:

Here is how Peek and Pop can help you find and join the most interesting conversations even faster:

Thanks to iOS9 App Thinning, FireChat will take even less space on your device (down to a tight 5.6MB). Safari View Controller gives you richer content viewing directly in FireChat. And if you’re on an iPad, the Split View will allow you to multitask to your heart’s content.

Last but not least, we’re adding instant syncing with Contacts. Even if your username is PotatoMuffin78, you’ll be able to easily find and invite your friends to chat.

Want to see Armin Van Buuren, Hardwell, Dash Berlin, DVBBS, NERVO, Zeds Dead, and many more of your favorite DJs? Here’s your chance to win a pair of tickets. So you could surprise a friend too. 

1. Follow this link to the SCMF chatroom on FireChat: http://firech.at/SCMF

2. Invite your EDM family to the SCMF chatroom via Twitter. Tag your friends.

3. Follow @Firechatapp and @OfficialSCMF on Twitter, so we can DM if you win.

It’s easy, follow this link on an iOS or Android phone http://firech.at/SCMF

Once you are in the SCMF chatroom, favorite it (click on the star symbol at upper right corner). The app will prepare a draft invite tweet for you when you click on the share button.

That’s it. Hope to see you there!

With FireChat, you will be able to chat with your friends, even if there is no cell coverage or Internet access. FireChat connects phones directly with one another and it’s completely free. The more people use it, the better it works. That’s why we’re counting on you to get the word out.

But that’s not all. Some of your favorite DJs will be on FireChat during Labor Day weekend. Don’t miss the chance to chat live with them. We’ll announce them here http://firech.at/SCMF

FireChat is super simple. If you want to see how it works, check out this short video from the Ultimate Music Experience in Texas too.

See you in El Paso!

The FireChat team

Details:

- two winners per weekend

- first weekend is Fri 8/21 - Sun 8/23

- second weekend is Fri 8/28 - Sun 8/30

- each winner get two tickets, valid for two days (General Admission)

- winners will be announced on FireChat and Twitter

- winners will be contacted via DM on FireChat and Twitter

- winners must pick the tickets on site at “will call” and bring a valid photo ID

To text or not to text on the Playa? Whatever you prefer, you now have the choice. Hub Culture and FireChat are joining forces to make it super easy. Grab FireChat and claim your burner name here.

Here is how it works: FireChat connects our phones directly with one another, creating a peer-to-peer mesh network. All you need to do is leave Bluetooth and WiFi on. For more details, please watch this short video.

There’s been lots of talk about bugs recently. But who remembers that last year was the year of the mud? A thousand cars, stuck in the mud, blocked the entrance to BRC for a day. At that time, hundreds of burners were already chatting on FireChat, helping each other sort out backup travel plans, share rides and throw last minute parties along the road. Who knows that’s going to happen next?

This year, our friends at Hub Culture are doing something amazing. They’re setting up a 30 feet high wind powered Signal Totem using Ubiquiti 5GHz nano-stations, routers, wind generator tower kits, wind turbine power generators, power inverters, and rechargeable batteries. Come and check out their camp @ A Transformation Station, located at 6:15/Geek.

But fear not, this is not going to help people go wild on SnapChat or Periscope. There will be no link to the Internet. But it’s going to help cover the grounds with a local area WiFi network to amplify the FireChat mesh. It’s super easy, jut look for the “FireChat_HubCulture” WiFi network and launch FireChat to create your public chats or send encrypted private messages.

To access the FireChat mesh network, Burners should download FireChat prior to arriving on site. Please use and share this link http://firech.at/BurningMan.

See you on the Playa.

With many thanks to Hub Culture, a global collaboration platform. Their mission to expand collective consciousness is driven by a blend of tools for knowledge sharing with pavilions for meeting and connecting. It’s all powered by a digital currency, Ven. Make sure you check out their Playa news here.

The Signal Totem was designed for FireChat and Hub Culture by Brady Johnson, who is also leading Hub Culture's drone efforts on the playa in his work with Angel Wing Airways, a non-profit project he created to bring drone view experiences to children in hospitals and other limited mobility situations.

Want to see Tiësto, Kaskade, Afrojack, Dash Berlin, DVBBS and many more?

Here’s your chance to win this pair of beautiful tickets. So you could bring a friend too.

1. Join the Chasing Summer chatroom http://firech.at/ChasingSummer

2. Invite your EDM family to the chatroom via Twitter. Tag your friends.

3. Follow @FireChatapp & @ChasingSum on Twitter so we can DM if you win.

It’s easy, follow this link on your phone http://firech.at/ChasingSummer

Once you are in the Chasing Summer chatroom, favorite it (click on the star symbol at the upper right corner). The app will prepare a draft invite tweet for you when you click on the share button in the top right.

That’s it. Hope to see you there!

FireChat provides a lot more than free tickets. Once you have the app, you will be able to chat with your friends for free, even if there is no cell coverage or Wifi. It connects phones directly with one another. The more people use it, the better it works. That’s why we’re counting on you to get the word out.

But that’s not all. Some of your favorite DJs will be on FireChat next week. Don’t miss the chance to chat live with them. We’ll announce them here http://firech.at/ChasingSummer

See you in Calgary!

The FireChat team

Details:

- one winner per day

- 3 pairs to tickets total

- starts Friday July 31st, ends Monday July 3rd

- each winner get 2 tickets valid for General Admission

- winners will be announced and contacted via DM on Twitter & FireChat

- winners must pick the tickets on site at will call

Want to see Tiësto, Skrillex, Armin Van Buuren, Porter Robinson, Flosstradamus, Showtek and many more? You could bring a friend too. Here’s your chance to win a pair of tickets.

1. Follow this link to the SMF chatroom on FireChat: http://firech.at/SMF 

2. Invite your EDM family to the SMF chatroom via Twitter. Tag your friends.

3. Follow @FireChatapp and @SMFTampa on Twitter so we can DM if you win.

It’s easy, follow this link on an iOS or Android phone http://firech.at/SMF

Once you are in the SMF chatroom, favorite it (click on the star symbol at upper right corner). The app will prepare a draft invite tweet for you when you click on the share button in the top right.

That’s it. Hope to see you there!

FireChat provides a lot more than free tickets. Once you have the app, you will be able to chat with your friends for free, even if there is no cell coverage or Wifi. It connects phones directly with one another. The more people use it, the better it works. That’s why we’re counting on you to get the word out.

But that’s not all. Some of your favorite DJs will be on FireChat next week. Don’t miss the chance to chat live with them. We’ll announce them here http://firech.at/SMF

We had a great time with The Chainsmokers, Dannic and W&W at the Ultimate Music Experience in Texas a few weeks ago, check it out in this short video. 

See you in Florida!

The FireChat team

Details:

- one winner per day, over 4 days (starts Friday May 15, ends Monday May 18)

- each winner get 2 tickets  valid for two days (General Admission)

- winners will be announced on FireChat and contacted with DM on Twitter

- winners must pick the tickets on site at will call

This is our first SXSW. We had been warned. It’s even more overwhelming than we expected. And we’ve also been told: “forget about planning, just live in the moment”. 

We asked ourselves: “what if we could know instantly the best things to do at any moment?” So we built a brand new version of FireChat, with a whole new take on hashtags and a team of SXSW veterans. 

The result: live help and tips on our phone. Pretty cool for noobs like us. 

Please tell us what you think. Or better: meet us at the JW Marriott. We’re on the 3rd floor, right above the Starbucks.

We also hope you’ll come for this panel with Facebook and Opera. Kevin is a fantastic moderator and already told us that the opening question will be “ Is the internet fundamentally flawed?” 

Last but not least, we’re a finalist at the SXSW Innovation Awards. 

SXSW just started, but we can already say: THANK YOU SXSW!

SXSW can be overwhelming.  We’re here to help you make this your best SXSW ever. We will answer your questions. We will also share our live tips about the very best thing to do “right now”, at any time. Follow this link on your phone and let’s talk about the very best of SXSW.  http://firech.at/SXSW

Come and chat with us on FireChat. And share your best live tips too.

Juliana:  I am duchessatx on FireChat. I’ve lived in Austin for 23 Years. I have participated in SXSW in some capacity or another for 21 of those years! Best SXSW moment to date was meeting a cool, nerdy guy at Emo's who was nervous to open for Johnny Cash. His name was Beck. And the show was legendary... If I could do only one thing this SXSW 2015, I would see “All Things Must Pass: The Rise and Fall of Tower Records”, a documentary by Colin Hanks. He's a vinyl collector - so am I! Film and music all rolled up into one! Follow me for live tips about parties and all things music! 

Sofia: I am solpipa on FireChat. I moved to Austin three years ago from Honduras. This is my third SXSW. I have been a volunteer Stage Manager at SXSW. What I love at SXSW is the energy, people‘s passion for learning, and of course... the surprises! If I could do only one thing at SXSW 2015, it would be meet Joe Zee. Follow me for live news on fashion, world culture and EDM!

Cile: I am cilemontgomery on FireChat. I’ve lived in Austin for 37 years. I am a too-many-times-to-count SXSW veteran. In Austin, I am a townie, mother and product marketer. What I love at SXSW: women in tech, daytime music shows, public art, neuroscience, wearables and serendipity. Follow me for live news about new products, and cool tech!

Heather: I am kneehighpi on FireChat. I’ve lived in Austin for 10 Years. This is my 6th SXSW. I am a private investigator. Yes seriously. No one ever suspects I'm a P.I. - I'm 5'3" and a buck o'five! I love the SXSW energy and seeing people from all over the world who come together to learn or share their knowledge. I also love randomly walking into a venue downtown just a find an up-and-coming band that will quickly become my new favorite. Follow me for live tips about film, fashion and food!

Perry: I am perryst on FireChat. I’ve lived in Austin for 7 years. This is my 7th SXSW. I have my own startup. Before moving to Austin I lived in New York while I served as online editor of W Magazine. Year after ear, I love catching up with friends and former colleagues visiting from New York and San Francisco and finding out about what they have been working on. There is no better place than SXSW to spot the latest trends across many industries. My advice for SXSW is: forget the schedule and play it by ear. Follow me for live tips about startups, and clever or crazy marketing!

More than 5 million people are expected to greet Pope Francis during his stay in the Philippines between January 15 and January 19, 2015.

It is likely that cellular phone networks will be congested and accessing the Internet will be challenging. Thankfully, there is a revolutionary app called FireChat that allows you to chat on your mobile phone regardless. It works by connecting phones around directly with one another (peer-to-peer). And if you are connected to the Internet, you can chat with people all around the world too.

1. Please download FireChat on your iOS or Android device. Clicking on this link will take you directly to the right chatroom. http://firech.at/PopeFrancisPH

2. Create your profile by adding a short bio and photo

3. Keep Bluetooth and WiFi turned on.

That's all. You do not need to do anything else. The more people use the app the better the network gets for everybody. 

You may share pictures using FireChat. Only the people who follow you will see your pictures. And if you don't like what someone is saying, you can block this person simply by pressing and holding on that message. 

We hope that you will discover many interesting people and wish you a fun time on FireChat. 

If you like like, please invite your friends by sending them the same link. It works in SMS, WhatsApp, Facebook, Twitter, email, anything. http://firech.at/PopeFrancisPH

We have received some questions about how FireChat works. We would like to clarify: FireChat is a tool for public communications.

FireChat works like Twitter and Instagram from the perspective of message distribution. Anyone can see the messages that you post on FireChat, whether you are in a big chatroom or a small chatroom. Messages on FireChat are comparable to tweets, and chatrooms (a.k.a. firechats) could be thought of as hashtags. Or if we were to use an older example, FireChat could be compared to CB radio: a practical way to have a live interactive chat with other people within a number of different channels.

Some people use FireChat with their real name or other identifying information. Some don’t. We leave this decision to the users. Unlike Facebook and Google, we do not require the use of real names.

The key benefit of FireChat is that it enables off-the-grid communication, e.g., when there is no Internet connection or cellular phone coverage. 

FireChat allows people to reach and chat with a large number of people in real time and  create their own chatrooms.

FireChat is not a tool for private communications. People who use Twitter understand that their communications are public. They can use pseudonyms and know that what they tweet may be seen by other people. It is the same with FireChat.

So let’s recap. FireChat is a tool for public communications that works even when cellular networks are congested. It is not a tool for private communications, although we are working on that.

Thank you for reading and sharing

The Open Garden team