Walkie Talkie - Bluetooth Chat

Blu turns two Android phones into a pair of walkie talkies. No internet, no wifi, no mobile data, no SIM card, no account. Everything travels straight between the two handsets over Bluetooth, and nothing is kept on a server, because there is no server.

Open the app, find the person near you, press and talk.

WHAT YOU CAN DO

• Walkie talkie: hold the key, speak, let go. Real push to talk (PTT), the way a two way radio works.
• Intercom: use two phones as a room to room intercom with no wiring and no base station.
• Bluetooth chat: send text messages to a nearby phone with no signal at all.
• Voice calls: a proper two way call over Bluetooth, with a ringtone and a call log.
• Voice messages: record and send audio when the other person is not holding their phone.
• Photos and files: send a picture from the camera or gallery, or share a document.
• Profiles: set a name and a photo so people know who is calling them.

GETTING STARTED

1. Install Blu on both phones and switch Bluetooth on.
2. Open People. The other phone shows up in the nearby list within a few seconds.
3. Tap their name, accept on the other handset, and you are connected.

There is no code to type, no number to exchange, and nothing to pair in Android settings first.

WHERE AN OFFLINE CHAT APP ACTUALLY HELPS

• Camping, hiking and climbing, where there are no bars for miles
• Festivals and stadiums, where the network exists but is completely jammed
• Flights, basements, car parks, lifts and tunnels
• Building sites, warehouses and farms, where handing out two way radios costs money
• Rural areas and traveling abroad, where roaming data is expensive
• Power cuts, storms and emergencies, when the towers go down
• Anywhere you would rather not put a conversation on somebody else's server

HOW FAR IT REACHES

Blu talks over Bluetooth, so it is short range on purpose. Expect roughly ten to thirty meters in the open, and less through walls. It is built for the person across the campsite or on the other side of the site, not the other side of the city. If you need distance, Blu will not give it to you, and we would rather say that here than leave you to find out.

NO ACCOUNT, NO CLOUD, NO TRACKING

There is no sign up, no phone number, no email address and no profile sitting on anybody's server. Your messages, photos, files and calls go from one phone to the other over a direct Bluetooth link. They are never uploaded, because there is nowhere to upload them to. Delete the app and the conversations go with it.

This is a Bluetooth messenger with no middle. That is the whole idea.

GOOD TO KNOW

• Both phones need Blu installed. It is an Android app and cannot reach an iPhone.
• You can connect to more than one person and switch between them from the Talk tab.
• Calls open on the earpiece, with a speaker key on the call screen.
• Holding a Bluetooth link open uses battery, roughly like playing music. Close the app when you have finished.
• Your chats live on your phone. There is no backup and no sync, by design.

FREE AND PRO

Free gives you the walkie talkie, Bluetooth chat, incoming voice calls, photos, files up to 1 MB, recordings up to 10 seconds, and chat history kept for seven days.

Pro is one payment, not a subscription. It adds outgoing voice calls, recordings up to 60 seconds, files up to 5 MB with full quality photos, saving and sharing anything you receive, and chat history kept for good.

PERMISSIONS, AND WHY EACH ONE

• Nearby devices: to find the phone you want to talk to and open the Bluetooth link to it.
• Notifications: to tell you when someone connects, messages or calls you.
• Microphone: for the walkie talkie, voice messages and calls. Asked for on your first call, not before.

Blu never asks for your contacts. Android 11 and older require location permission to scan; Blu never reads it.

An offline walkie talkie app and a Bluetooth messenger in one. No internet, no wifi, no account. Push to talk, and they hear you.

Works on Android 7.0 and above.

Recent changes:
Getting started now explains what you need: two phones with the app, within about 10 metres
Invite a friend from the Chats and People screens
A clearer message when another phone can't be reached
Tap the talk button to keep the mic on, and tap again to stop