Firechat is an app for iPhones and Androids that uses Bluetooth and not the cell phone network ,

It is what is being used by the Hong Kong protesters ,

And its FREE to download and use......

So is it popular in Bangkok yet ? It seems the perfect way to waste time at work or school and no SMS cost

We use Line.. why would we just convert because some Chinese made a new app?

Looks like a good concept in circumstances where the powers that be might want to shut down communications. Other than that there are far better apps for general communication. Line is far better for everyday communication.

We use Line.. why would we just convert because some Chinese made a new app?

Your racist comment doesn't belong to this forum. Here we are supposed to look at the technical advantages of a solution, not at the skin color of its creator.

Firechat doesn't replace apps like Line or WhatsApp but can be useful in crowded places when access to the cellular network is difficult or blocked for whatever reason.

Unless I misunderstand Bluetooth, it willl only work in the immediate proximity of the two devices. No? So kind of useless if you want to 'chat' with someone more than a few meters away.

Line, WhatsApp, Tango, Viber et al, all will wok via WiFi so you can 'chat' for free over WiFi, and with anyone on the app WORLD WIDE. So I am not sure I see the point in the Firechat app, unless, of course, the authorities have shut down internet access and you are too lazy to walk a few meter and 'chat' in person.

Unless I misunderstand Bluetooth, it willl only work in the immediate proximity of the two devices. No? So kind of useless if you want to 'chat' with someone more than a few meters away.

Line, WhatsApp, Tango, Viber et al, all will wok via WiFi so you can 'chat' for free over WiFi, and with anyone on the app WORLD WIDE. So I am not sure I see the point in the Firechat app, unless, of course, the authorities have shut down internet access and you are too lazy to walk a few meter and 'chat' in person.

First the signal can "jump" from phone to phone, using each phone as a relay, a stepping stone to the next one extending the range of the network. That's why it works well in crowded places.

Also in crowded place the cellular and wifi networks are usually saturated making connection very slow or even impossible. Of course you can walk a few meters and "chat" in person ... as long as you can find the person first which in a very crowded place is not always so easy.

PS : By the way FireChat is not a "Chinese" app but the product of Open Garden, a San Francisco company.

Edited October 2, 201411 yr by JohnnyJazz

Unless I misunderstand Bluetooth, it willl only work in the immediate proximity of the two devices. No? So kind of useless if you want to 'chat' with someone more than a few meters away.

Line, WhatsApp, Tango, Viber et al, all will wok via WiFi so you can 'chat' for free over WiFi, and with anyone on the app WORLD WIDE. So I am not sure I see the point in the Firechat app, unless, of course, the authorities have shut down internet access and you are too lazy to walk a few meter and 'chat' in person.

First the signal can "jump" from phone to phone, using each phone as a relay, a stepping stone to the next one extending the range of the network. That's why it works well in crowded places.

Sounds like a major security issue to me.