OSHI Support & Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about OSHI — how it works offline, how its encryption protects you, what it collects (almost nothing), and where its limits are. Straight answers, including the honest ones.
Getting Started
Is OSHI free?
Yes. OSHI is completely free and open source under the MIT license. There are no subscriptions, no ads, and no paid tiers.
What platforms does OSHI run on?
OSHI is available on iOS from the Apple App Store and on Android as a direct-download APK that you install by sideloading. There is no separate desktop app; a web client is also available.
Is OSHI on Google Play?
Not at this time. The Android version is distributed as a direct-download APK from the OSHI website, which you install by enabling installation from your browser or file manager. iOS users get it from the App Store.
Do I need to create an account or give an email?
No. OSHI does not require an account, email address, or any personal details. When you first open the app it generates a cryptographic identity on your device.
Do I need a phone number to use OSHI?
No. Unlike many messengers, OSHI does not use a phone number. Your identity is a cryptographic key stored on your device, so there is nothing tying your messages to a SIM card or legal name.
How do I add a contact?
You exchange identity keys, typically by scanning each other's QR code in person or sharing an invite link. Because there are no phone numbers, adding a contact means connecting your two cryptographic identities directly.
Working Offline
Does OSHI work without internet?
Yes. OSHI includes offline mesh networking. When there is no internet or cell service, it relays encrypted messages directly between nearby devices over Bluetooth Low Energy and local Wi-Fi.
How does mesh networking work?
Your encrypted message is handed to a nearby OSHI device over Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, which passes it on to the next device, and so on, hopping toward the recipient. No cell tower, router, or internet provider is involved, so the message travels through the crowd itself.
How far can messages travel over the mesh?
A single Bluetooth hop is typically a few tens of metres. Range extends much further as messages relay through a chain of participating devices, so a dense group can carry a message well beyond the range of any one phone. Sparse areas with few nearby users are the main limitation.
Does mesh messaging use my mobile data?
No. Mesh communication uses your phone's Bluetooth and Wi-Fi radios to talk to nearby devices directly, so it consumes no mobile data and works even when data is switched off.
What happens if the recipient is not nearby?
If your contact is out of mesh range, the message waits and can be delivered later when a network path exists — for example over Tor or a covert channel when some connectivity returns, or via the mesh once a relay device carries it closer.
Privacy & Security
Is OSHI open source?
Yes. The full source code is published on GitHub under the MIT license, so anyone can inspect it, audit it, or build it themselves. Open source is how you verify security claims rather than taking them on trust.
Does OSHI collect metadata?
OSHI is designed to minimize metadata. It requires no phone number, no account, and no email, and message content is end-to-end encrypted so servers never see it. Because there is no central directory of who you are, there is very little metadata to collect in the first place.
Can governments or hackers read my messages?
Message contents are protected by end-to-end encryption, so they cannot be read in transit by a server, network operator, or interceptor — only you and your contact hold the keys. No messenger can protect messages on a device that is seized while unlocked, so device security remains your responsibility.
How secure is the encryption OSHI uses?
OSHI uses Signal-protocol-style end-to-end encryption: X25519 for key exchange, AES-256-GCM for message encryption, and the Double Ratchet algorithm for forward secrecy. These are the same well-studied, modern primitives used by leading secure messengers.
What is the Signal Protocol and why does it matter?
The Signal Protocol is a widely reviewed design for end-to-end encrypted messaging that provides forward secrecy (compromising one key does not expose past messages) and post-compromise security. OSHI implements the same style of ratcheting encryption, which is considered the state of the art for private messaging.
Does the OSHI server ever see my messages?
No readable content reaches any server. Messages are encrypted on your device before they leave it and can only be decrypted by the intended recipient. When online delivery is used, the server relays ciphertext it cannot read.
Is OSHI truly anonymous?
OSHI removes the biggest identifier — your phone number — and collects no account details, which makes it far more private than typical messengers. True anonymity also depends on your network path and behaviour; using Tor routing and covert channels strengthens it, but no tool can promise perfect anonymity in every situation.
Where is OSHI based?
OSHI is developed in Switzerland, a jurisdiction with strong privacy traditions. More importantly, its privacy comes from its architecture — no phone number, end-to-end encryption, open source — rather than from policy promises alone.
Censorship & Internet Shutdowns
Can OSHI bypass internet censorship?
OSHI can route over Tor and hide traffic inside ordinary-looking web requests using steganographic covert channels, which makes recognizable-messenger blocking harder to apply. During a full internet blackout, its offline mesh keeps working locally. No tool guarantees it will always defeat every censorship system, and conditions change constantly.
What is steganography and how does OSHI use it?
Steganography hides the fact that a message exists by embedding it inside ordinary-looking data. OSHI can disguise communication as normal web traffic, DNS queries, and other everyday internet activity, so that traffic inspection sees nothing unusual rather than recognizable encrypted-messenger traffic.
Does OSHI support Tor?
Yes. OSHI can route online traffic through the Tor network, which helps conceal your network location and resist traffic-based blocking. Tor requires some working internet connection, so it complements — rather than replaces — the offline mesh.
Will OSHI work during an internet shutdown?
Locally, yes. If the internet is deliberately cut, OSHI's Bluetooth and Wi-Fi mesh still relays messages between nearby users. Reaching people far away requires some network path, so a nationwide blackout limits OSHI to local mesh communication. Install it in advance, since you cannot download apps once a shutdown begins.
Features
Does OSHI have on-device AI?
Yes. OSHI includes on-device AI features that run locally without sending your text to a cloud server — using Apple Intelligence on iOS and Gemini Nano, ML Kit, and llama.cpp on Android. Because it runs on the device, your messages stay private.
Can I make encrypted voice or video calls?
OSHI supports encrypted calling in addition to messaging, protected by the same end-to-end encryption as text.
Does OSHI include offline maps?
Yes. OSHI bundles offline OpenStreetMap maps and routing, so you can navigate without a data connection — useful during shutdowns or in areas with poor coverage.
Does OSHI support group chats?
Yes. OSHI supports group conversations with the same end-to-end encryption applied to one-to-one chats.
Is there a bot or developer API?
Yes. OSHI provides a bot API for developers who want to build automated integrations on top of the platform. See the bot API documentation for details.
How does OSHI store shared files?
OSHI uses a self-hosted, content-addressed blob store (an IPFS-style approach) for distributing larger content, so files are referenced by their cryptographic hash rather than stored on a central server tied to your identity.
Trust & Limitations
Has OSHI been independently audited?
OSHI is fully open source, so its code is open to public review by anyone. We do not claim any specific third-party audit certification; the honest position is that open source enables verification, and we encourage security researchers to examine the code.
What can OSHI not protect against?
OSHI cannot protect messages on a device that is unlocked and physically seized, cannot deliver messages over the mesh when no other users are nearby, and cannot guarantee delivery through every possible censorship system. It reduces risk; it does not eliminate it. Treat it as one layer in your overall security, not a magic shield.
Is OSHI better than Signal?
They have different strengths. Signal is a mature, widely audited messenger that is excellent when you have connectivity, though it needs a phone number. OSHI adds offline mesh, covert channels, and no-phone-number identities. For resilience against shutdowns and censorship, many people use both rather than choosing one.
How do I get help or report a problem?
You can reach the team at contact@oshi-messenger.com, browse the support pages, or open an issue on the public GitHub repository. Because OSHI is open source, community contributions and bug reports are welcome.
Dig Deeper
All Features Mesh Networking Covert Channels On-Device AI Bot API Country Guides Shutdown Survival Guide Compare Messengers Guides Contact SupportStill have questions?
Email contact@oshi-messenger.com or read the source on GitHub. OSHI is free, open source, and Swiss-built.
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