One of the worst parts of big events is when cell service just dies.
I’ve experienced this at Jack Trice during football games, at a recent concert, and at hackathons and conferences. Once enough people show up, texts stop sending, group chats freeze, and finding your friends becomes a mess.
A while back, Jack Dorsey made bitchat, an offline messaging app that uses Bluetooth to send messages between phones without cell service or internet. I used it in Cabo during spring break when signal was bad and thought the idea was really cool. It works, but it gets way more useful when more people around you are using it too.
That made me think about events.
Bluetooth mesh actually makes a lot of sense for crowded venues. The more phones there are, the more paths messages can take. A packed concert, hackathon, or stadium is not the problem. It is kind of the ideal environment.
So as a fun side side project, I built Encore.
Encore is an open source, offline first group chat made specifically for events. Instead of relying on overloaded cell towers or venue WiFi, phones relay messages to each other directly over Bluetooth.
For attendees, it means they can still message their friends when service is bad. For organizers, it means there is a lightweight way to keep communication alive inside a packed venue without depending on the network working perfectly. It has no accounts, no phone numbers, and no signup. Event teams can use QR codes to load event info, channels, schedules, and verified broadcasts.
Mostly just a fun open source experiment right now, but I would love to see hackathon directors, event organizers, venues, festivals, or campus event teams try it at a real event. Maybe I'll see an Iowa State Football branded messaging app???!
Check it out: encore.asraygopa.com