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Work through these, in order:

• Both devices must have the app open — it does not run persistently in the background.
• Turn the Wi‑Fi radio on, on both devices. No network and no internet are needed — the radio alone enables the direct Wi‑Fi link, and Bluetooth on its own struggles once three or more people are chatting. Start here; it fixes more cases than anything else on this list.
• Bluetooth must be on as well.
• Check that OffGrid Messenger has Bluetooth and Local Network permission in iOS Settings → Privacy & Security.
• Low Power Mode can restrict background radio activity — try switching it off.
• Move closer. Walls, metal and crowded spaces cut range sharply.
• Check your visibility mode. If you’re set to Invisible, other devices won’t see you until you scan them in.
• Give it a moment before intervening. The app retries on its own and will usually recover a stalled connection within about half a minute — pulling to refresh repeatedly doesn’t speed that up.
• Force-quit and reopen the app on both devices.

The dot next to a contact means “reachable right now”. Red means the two devices aren’t connected at this moment — anything you send is queued and delivers by itself once they are. If it stays red while you’re sitting next to each other, work through the discovery list above, starting with the Wi‑Fi radio.

Verify only when you are physically together and looking at the other person’s screen — that is the whole point of the scan. If the camera won’t pick up the code, raise the screen brightness, hold the devices a little further apart, and check the app has camera permission in iOS Settings.

A QR code is only valid for a few minutes. If the code on screen has expired, go back and reopen the verification screen to get a fresh one. If verification keeps failing on the same pair of devices, contact us.

That’s expected — Discover only lists devices you haven’t verified yet. Once someone is verified they move to Chats, which is where you message them from. A device also drops off Discover when it goes out of range, since there would be nothing to connect to.

Open the group chat and tap the group icon in the top corner to see the member list, then tap the person you want. That opens a one-to-one chat with them, creating it if you don’t have one yet. Each member row also shows whether they’re reachable right now.

Pending means the recipient isn’t currently reachable. Messages queue automatically and send themselves as soon as the device is back in range with the app open — you don’t need to resend. If both devices are side by side and it stays pending, check the discovery steps above.

Photos are larger than text and need a stable link for longer. Keep both devices in range and the app in the foreground until the transfer completes. If a photo repeatedly fails, try again closer together.

After the 72-hour trial, sending requires the one-time unlock. Receiving and reading incoming messages remain free. Tap any send prompt to open the purchase screen. Note that the purchase itself goes through Apple and does need an internet connection — so buy it before you travel, not on the plane.

Use Restore Purchases in the app’s settings, signed in with the same Apple Account that made the purchase. Restoring requires an internet connection. If it still doesn’t unlock, send us the Apple Account email used for the purchase and we’ll help.

Everything lives on your device only — there is no server holding a backup copy. Deleting the app deletes your identity key, verified contacts and message history with it, and contacts will need to be verified again after a reinstall. This is a direct consequence of the app having no backend.

iPad — yes, OffGrid Messenger runs natively on iPad from version 1.0. Mac isn’t supported yet; if that matters to you, tell us — it helps us prioritise.