FireChat Messaging App: Look Ma, No Internet!

FireChat, an iPhone app designed for anonymous hyperlocal communication, could change the way we connect with one other: It does not require an Internet connection or even a cell signal to work.FireChat, an iPhone app designed for anonymous hyperlocal communication, could change the way we connect with one other: It does not require an Internet connection or even a cell signal to work.

FireChat takes advantage of the Multipeer Connectivity Framework in iOS 7. This feature allows developers to connect devices to each other using Bluetooth, WiFi, and peer-to-peer connections.

Users must be within a maximum of 100 feet of another to use the Nearby feature (though they can connect with other users around their countries through the Internet in the "Everyone" chat room); it works best when users are within 30 feet of each other. However, if there are many people using the app within a close range of each other, the network becomes larger and more robust.