Crocodile 0.6.0 beta

A beta release of Crocodile: peer-to-peer, end-to-end encrypted voice and
text chat. It works, but expect rough edges, and note that it hasn't had an
independent security audit yet.

What's new in 0.6.0

Calls

• Hanging up ends the call for both of you. Before, the other side stayed in
  the call, with its timer running.
• The call timer and the green dot show only while a call is actually live.
  Otherwise the call says what it's doing: Ringing…, Connecting…,
  Waiting for Bob to join, Reconnecting…. A call also ends by itself if
  the other side leaves it, or stays gone for 20 seconds.
• Calls with a friend look like voice rooms: both of you on a stage above the
  chat, with mute, deafen and hang-up buttons, and Join call if they're
  already in it.
• Live latency: every call member shows their round trip to the host's
  device (green, amber or red), and the call bar shows yours.

Chat

• Links work, including www. addresses and plain domains such as
  example.com/page. They open in your browser.
• Invite links become a card with the space's name and a Join button.
• @mentions: type @ to pick someone. A message that mentions you
  stands out, and its notification says so.
• Emoji: a picker next to the send button, suggestions as you type
  :name, and :shortcode: turns into the emoji.
• Right-click menus: reply, copy, edit or delete a message, cut, copy and
  paste in text fields, spelling suggestions, and copy links.

Sounds

Ringing, people joining and leaving calls, hanging up, new messages and
mentions. Turn them off or set their volume under Settings → Privacy &
alerts. They're quiet while you're busy.

Space admins

A space's owner can now let others help run it: open Space settings →
People and switch on the members you trust. Admins can rename the space,
change its icon, add and remove channels and rooms, invite people and ban
members. Only the owner chooses admins or deletes the space. When the owner
removes an admin, their later changes are refused and the invites they made
stop working.

Updating

Everyone in a call should update. With an older version on the other end,
calls still work, but the live state and latency show only partly. Admins'
changes need coordination servers that run this version; servers on older
versions refuse them until they update.

Download

System	File
Windows (x64 and ARM)	the .exe installer
macOS (Intel and Apple)	the .dmg (universal)
Linux	.AppImage, .deb (Debian/Ubuntu), .rpm (Fedora/openSUSE), .tar.gz

Or install with one line in a terminal, which avoids the warnings below; see
the README.

These builds are not code-signed yet:

• Windows: SmartScreen says "Windows protected your PC" → More info →
  Run anyway.
• macOS: open the app once, then System Settings → Privacy & Security →
  Open Anyway.

The app tells you when a new version is out: click Update in the top bar,
then Restart to update once it has downloaded. Two exceptions: the Linux
.tar.gz can't update itself, so Download update opens this page; and a
Mac app that can't replace itself (still on the disk image, or in a folder you
can't write to) downloads the new .dmg and shows Install update, which
opens it so you can drag Crocodile into Applications.

Getting started

Open Crocodile, pick a name and save your recovery key. The app finds a
coordination server by itself. Add friends under Home → Add someone
(name#1234), create a space, share the invite, and talk.

Want to run your own server instead, for example on a home network? Turn on
Settings → Host a server and share the address it shows; others add it
under Settings → Network → Preferred servers. See the
self-hosting guide.

What to try

• Text chat in a space and in DMs; send a DM while your friend is offline and
  see it arrive when they're back.
• Voice rooms with three or more people; leave as the host (the crown / radio
  icon) and check the others stay connected.
• Push-to-talk while another app is focused (Settings → Voice).
• Link a second computer (account menu → Link another device).
• Light/dark theme and accent colours (Settings → Appearance).

Found a problem? Open an
issue and attach
Settings → About → Copy diagnostics (it contains no messages). Report
security problems
privately.