A messenger that works with no signal. Phones talk to each other directly over Bluetooth, so your crew can reach you even when the cell network is dead.
Do this before the gates
- Install Plures and finish setup
- Get your crew into one group, while you still have signal
- Android: tap Allow when Plures asks to ignore battery optimization
- Charge up, and bring a battery pack if you have one
1Install
Plures is in testing, so you install it from a tester link, not the regular store page.
iPhone: the link opens Apple's TestFlight app (install it from the App Store if you don't have it), then tap Accept and Install.
iPhone AndroidAndroid, using the Google account that's on your phone:
- Join the tester group: groups.google.com/g/plures-testers, tap Join group
- Tap the Android button above, then Become a tester
- Install Plures from Google Play (it can take a few minutes to show up)
If Google Play says the app isn't available, email the Gmail address on your phone to plures@broexoticgroup.com and we'll add you by hand.
2Set up
Open Plures and tap Get Started. It asks for a few permissions.
- Bluetooth: required. This is how messages move between phones.
- Notifications: optional, but turn them on so you know when someone messages you.
- Location: optional. Only used so your friends can see you on the map. While you share it and have internet, an encrypted copy goes through our relay so friends out of Bluetooth range can find you. We can't read it, and it deletes itself after 15 minutes.
Then pick a name your friends will recognize (a nickname is fine) and tap I agree to accept the terms. No account, no phone number, no email.
You land on the Friends tab. It's empty until you make or join a group. Plures has two tabs: Friends and Chats. Settings opens from your avatar at the top left.
3Your crew
One person creates the group
On the Chats tab, tap + then New group, and give it a name.
Invite everyone
Open your group and tap its name at the top to open group settings, then tap Invite under Members. Friends next to you can scan the QR code. For anyone else, tap Share or Copy Code and send it however you like. Anyone with the link can join, so only share it with your crew.
Join a group
Tap an invite link, or on the Chats tab tap + then Join with a code. Scan the QR code or paste the code.
4Messages
Group chat
Open your group and type. Everyone in the group who is in range gets it, and phones in the middle pass it along to reach people farther away.
Direct messages
On the Friends tab, tap Message next to a friend. Direct messages can be up to 4 KB.
Did they get it?
Under your messages, Plures says it in words: Sending, Sent, 2 of 4 got it, Everyone got it, or for a direct message Delivered.
Waiting for them to be nearby
If the person is out of range, your message waits on your phone and sends by itself as soon as you're near them again. You don't need to retry. It's saved on your phone, so it survives restarting the app.
New: friends can carry it
If your friend is out of range, someone from a group you both share can carry the message to them. Say you text Sam, who's at another stage. Alex from your crew is next to you, then walks over to Sam. Plures hands the message to Alex's phone and it pops up on Sam's phone when Alex gets there. You don't have to do anything.
The message is sealed for Sam only. Alex's phone holds it but can't read it, and it's deleted from Alex's phone after a day.
5Find your people
The Friends tab lists your people, nearby first, with which way to walk and how far. Switch between List, Radar and Map at the top.
Sharing is on by default for each group. The line under the header, Sharing your location with, opens a per-group switch. You can also turn it off in a group's settings (tap the group's name in the chat).
Meeting up? Tap Live Mode on the radar or map to share your exact spot continuously for 30 minutes. It stops by itself.
6SOS
SOS is for "I'm lost from my group, come find me." Open a chat, tap its header menu, and hold Send SOS for one second. It alerts everyone in all your groups. While it's on you'll see Your SOS is active. When you're found, tap Cancel to clear it.
7Battery and signal
- Plures uses Bluetooth, not data. It works when bars are gone.
- Airplane mode saves battery, and Bluetooth can stay on in airplane mode. After switching airplane mode on, check that Bluetooth is still on and turn it back on if needed.
- Android: allowing Plures to ignore battery optimization keeps your phone from shutting it down after a few hours.
- Bring a battery pack. A dead phone can't receive, and can't carry for friends either.
- In a hurry? Open Plures. A locked iPhone checks for nearby phones less often, so a message can take a few minutes to land. Opening the app makes it look right away.
8Tell us how it went
This weekend is a real-world test, and your notes are the whole point. We most want to know:
- Did your messages arrive? Roughly how long did they take?
- Did a message ever go missing, or show up twice?
- Did a friend's phone carry a message for you?
- How was your battery by the end of the day?
- Anything confusing, broken, or great
Easiest: in Plures, tap your avatar to open Settings and tap Send feedback. It opens an email with your app version and a log of how messages moved attached, which helps us a lot. No signal? It sends once you have some.
Or email feedback@broexoticgroup.com.
On iPhone, if you installed with TestFlight, you can also take a screenshot and tap Share Beta Feedback.