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Getting Started

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Rob edited this page Jun 19, 2026 · 2 revisions

This guide takes you from a fresh install to your first message on the mesh.

1. Install the app

Android

  • Direct APK — download the signed .apk from the latest release and install it. You may need to allow "Install unknown apps" for your browser/file manager.
  • Obtainium — point Obtainium at the GitHub repo to get automatic update notifications. See the README install section for the source URL and deep link.
  • F-Droid — submission in progress.

iOS

  • Sideload via AltStore / SideStore using the app's source catalog, or install a direct .ipa. See the README iOS section for the source URL and re-signing notes.

2. First launch — your identity

On first launch the app generates your Reticulum identity (an X25519 + Ed25519 keypair) on the device. There is no sign-up and no account.

  • Your destination hash (16 bytes, shown as hex) is your address on the mesh. Share it with people who want to message you.
  • Back up your identity now. Settings → identity export writes a passphrase-encrypted .rmid archive. If you reinstall without a backup, you get a new identity and contacts can no longer reach your old address. See FAQ → How do I back up my identity?.

3. Connect a radio (RNode)

Pick the transport that matches your hardware. You can use more than one at once.

Bluetooth LE (most RNodes)

  1. Power on your RNode and make sure it's advertising over BLE (NUS service).
  2. In the app: Settings → Connect → Bluetooth (BLE).
  3. Grant the Bluetooth permissions when prompted (Nearby devices on Android 12+ — the app requests scan + connect; it does not request location).
  4. Select your RNode from the scan list and connect.
  5. Once connected, the app holds the link open via a foreground service so messages keep arriving while the app is backgrounded.

Bluetooth Classic (older RNode firmware)

Some older RNode firmwares expose a Bluetooth Classic SPP serial port instead of BLE NUS.

  1. Pair the RNode in your phone's system Bluetooth settings first.
  2. In the app: Settings → Connect → Bluetooth Classic, then pick the paired device.

USB (Android)

  1. Connect the RNode to your phone with a USB-OTG cable.
  2. Android shows a USB permission dialog — allow the app to access the device.
  3. In the app: Settings → Connect → USB.

Tip: If the RNode connects but you see no traffic, confirm its radio parameters (frequency, bandwidth, spreading factor, coding rate, TX power) match the network you're trying to reach. The app's RNode config screen can read and set these.

4. Announce yourself

For others to message you, the mesh needs to learn your address. The app sends an announce that propagates across the mesh and lands in other users' contact lists.

  • Send an announce from the app (you'll get visual feedback when it goes out).
  • The app re-announces periodically — this is required, because relay identity caches expire and inbound delivery fails if your announce goes stale.

5. Add a contact and send a message

  • Contacts appear automatically as their lxmf.delivery announces arrive — open the Messages tab and pick one.
  • To reach someone who hasn't announced yet, you can add their destination hash manually.
  • Type a message and send. The app delivers either opportunistically (single encrypted packet) or over an established Reticulum Link (reliable, with delivery proofs and retries) depending on the path.

Delivered messages show a confirmation; over a Link you get a delivery proof. If a message won't deliver, see Troubleshooting.

Next steps

Reticulum Client

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