{"slug": "briar", "name": "Briar", "category": "communication", "category_name": "Email and chat", "description": "", "recommenders": 2, "commenters": 3, "warners": 0, "score": 2.034, "rising": 0.67, "first": "2026-01-15", "latest": "2026-08-04", "why": "Briar for communications. It's surprisingly handy.", "why_is_quote": true, "has_verdict": false, "sentiment": {"recommend": 2, "neutral": 1, "compare": 0, "warn": 0}, "spark": [0, 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 0, 1, 0, 0], "listed": false, "loved": [], "caveat": "", "short_quote": "Briar for communications. It's surprisingly handy.", "icon": false, "domain": "briarproject.org", "github_repo": null, "official_url": "https://briarproject.org", "pricing": "", "aliases": ["Briar"], "verdict": null, "praise": [{"label": "", "summary": "", "quotes": [{"id": 786646256, "item_id": 49165391, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49165391", "by": "dguest", "date": "2026-08-04", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "it's still awesome!", "excerpt": "Yeah and I should say it's still awesome! I just used the \"share offline\" feature to get it on my friend's phone last weekend (we were trying to chat on a mountain with no internet). It works like a charm and isn't actually that hard to set up (you have to scan a few QR codes). I keep it on my phone even when people I use it with aren't around: having a resilient ecosystem of these apps seems like a good thing for th", "context": "", "use_case": "offline messaging without internet", "switched_from": "", "story": "Government orders GitHub to remove Bluetooth-based chat app Bitchat: Jack Dorsey"}, {"id": 746240688, "item_id": 46640043, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46640043", "by": "31337Logic", "date": "2026-01-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I love Briar", "excerpt": "Hooray! As a Rabin fan, I love Briar and so tremendously excited to be reading this. Thank you, all who are involved with this magnificent project!!", "context": "", "use_case": "offline messaging", "switched_from": "", "story": "Briar keeps Iran connected via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when the internet goes dark"}, {"id": 746107793, "item_id": 46631737, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46631737", "by": "31337Logic", "date": "2026-01-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Briar for communications. It's surprisingly handy.", "excerpt": "I love Organic Maps for offline navigation and exploration. They even download wiki articles about popular tourist attractions! The other app I use is Briar for communications. It's surprisingly handy. You can use it on existing wifi networks but also mesh your own network with Bluetooth. Joplin to journal my vacation (which then synchs to my home network). Oh, and of course Wireguard!", "context": "", "use_case": "messaging, Bluetooth mesh", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: What travel apps do you use while traveling?"}]}], "caveats": [], "who": [], "tags": [], "use_cases": ["offline messaging without internet", "messaging", "offline messaging", "messaging, bluetooth mesh"], "compared": [{"slug": "xmpp", "name": "XMPP", "co": 1, "switched_from": 1, "switched_to": 0}], "makers": [], "threads": [{"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49036433", "title": "Government orders GitHub to remove Bluetooth-based chat app Bitchat: Jack Dorsey", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47034801", "title": "Running My Own XMPP Server", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46638013", "title": "Briar keeps Iran connected via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when the internet goes dark", "mentions": 1}, {"url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46628969", "title": "Ask HN: What travel apps do you use while traveling?", "mentions": 1}], "sentiment_by_month": {"2025-11": {}, "2025-12": {}, "2026-01": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-02": {"neutral": 1}, "2026-03": {}, "2026-04": {}, "2026-05": {}, "2026-06": {}, "2026-07": {}, "2026-08": {"recommend": 1}, "2026-09": {}, "2026-10": {}}, "quotes": [{"id": 786646256, "item_id": 49165391, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49165391", "by": "dguest", "date": "2026-08-04", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "it's still awesome!", "excerpt": "Yeah and I should say it's still awesome! I just used the \"share offline\" feature to get it on my friend's phone last weekend (we were trying to chat on a mountain with no internet). It works like a charm and isn't actually that hard to set up (you have to scan a few QR codes). I keep it on my phone even when people I use it with aren't around: having a resilient ecosystem of these apps seems like a good thing for th", "context": "", "use_case": "offline messaging without internet", "switched_from": "", "story": "Government orders GitHub to remove Bluetooth-based chat app Bitchat: Jack Dorsey"}, {"id": 752602864, "item_id": 47037679, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47037679", "by": "b8", "date": "2026-02-16", "stance": "neutral", "quote": "today I use Briar and Signal", "excerpt": "I grew up using XMPP (I'm 25), but today I use Briar and Signal. I use text and calls for my family, because no one else but me uses Signal so it's unfair for them to use one app to talk to me and no one else.", "context": "", "use_case": "messaging", "switched_from": "XMPP", "story": "Running My Own XMPP Server"}, {"id": 746240688, "item_id": 46640043, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46640043", "by": "31337Logic", "date": "2026-01-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "I love Briar", "excerpt": "Hooray! As a Rabin fan, I love Briar and so tremendously excited to be reading this. Thank you, all who are involved with this magnificent project!!", "context": "", "use_case": "offline messaging", "switched_from": "", "story": "Briar keeps Iran connected via Bluetooth and Wi-Fi when the internet goes dark"}, {"id": 746107793, "item_id": 46631737, "url": "https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46631737", "by": "31337Logic", "date": "2026-01-15", "stance": "recommend", "quote": "Briar for communications. It's surprisingly handy.", "excerpt": "I love Organic Maps for offline navigation and exploration. They even download wiki articles about popular tourist attractions! The other app I use is Briar for communications. It's surprisingly handy. You can use it on existing wifi networks but also mesh your own network with Bluetooth. Joplin to journal my vacation (which then synchs to my home network). Oh, and of course Wireguard!", "context": "", "use_case": "messaging, Bluetooth mesh", "switched_from": "", "story": "Ask HN: What travel apps do you use while traveling?"}]}