Questions, Answered.

Smoke Signal is an off-grid group-communication system — a small mesh-radio device paired with an iPhone app — that lets your group text each other and see everyone on a live map with no cell service, no internet, no accounts, and no monthly fee. It's built for outdoor groups, not engineers, and it is not a satellite messenger.

Outdoor groups that go where coverage doesn't — hikers and backpackers, backcountry skiers, hunters, paddlers, overlanders, and festival crews. You don't need to be technical: your device arrives ready to go. If your group splits up beyond shouting distance and beyond cell bars, Smoke Signal keeps everyone on the same map and in the same conversation.

No. Smoke Signal needs neither cell service nor wifi — that's the entire point. Messages, the live group map, and downloaded offline maps all work with zero coverage, because everything travels directly between your group's devices over radio. Nothing depends on a tower, a satellite, or a server.

Each person carries a small Smoke Signal device that pairs with their phone over Bluetooth. The devices talk to each other directly over long-range, low-power radio — think of each one as a tiny relay tower your group carries.

Here's the part that matters: every device in the group also repeats messages it hears. If you're too far from a friend to reach them directly, your message hops through the devices in between until it arrives. More people in your group means more relays, more range, and more paths for a message to get through. If one path drops, your group routes around it.

Three things: an iPhone or iPad running iOS 18.2 or later, the free Smoke Signal app, and a Smoke Signal device for each person you want on the map. The device pairs with your phone over Bluetooth and rides in a pocket or clips to a pack strap.

There's nothing to source or configure. Your device arrives pre-paired for your group and works the moment you turn it on.

Yes — each person who should appear on the map and send messages carries their own Smoke Signal device. The more devices in the group, the more relays and the more range you get.

That's why we offer kits: a 2-pack or 4-pack to outfit the whole crew at once. Join the waitlist to hear when the device and app ship.

Range depends on terrain, because radio is governed by line of sight. In dense forest or rolling hills, plan on roughly a kilometre or two between devices. From a ridgeline or across open water, the range stretches many times that.

Range also compounds — every device relays messages, so a spread-out group covers far more ground than any single link. A group is simply everyone who shares your channel: add as many people as you need, and each extra device extends the group's reach rather than straining it. Treat any fixed number with suspicion, including ours — test with your group before you depend on it.

Each device runs on its own battery and is built to sip power — days of standby are typical. Cold weather, frequent position broadcasts, and heavy message traffic all cut into that, so pack a small battery bank on multi-day trips.

On your phone, the app is optimised for efficient background operation, and you can watch every group member's device battery level right in the app — no guessing who's about to go dark.

Download your maps before you leave coverage. In the app, pick a region, set a radius, choose the detail level, and Smoke Signal caches the map tiles on your device — best done on Wi-Fi, since a large region is a big download.

Once cached, the map works anywhere. GPS doesn't need cell service, so your position, your group's positions, and your breadcrumb trail all keep rendering on the stored map with zero connectivity.

Yes. Record live routes with real-time distance, elapsed time, and elevation stats. Import GPX files from your planning tools, export your recordings to share with the group, and drop waypoints with coordinates and elevation as you move.

Your group shares a channel — a name plus a private key. Everyone on the channel sees group messages and appears on the shared map. Sharing a channel takes seconds: one person shows a QR code, everyone else scans it. You can also message individual group members directly.

Only people who hold your channel key. Everything your group sends is encrypted with that key — another device in the area without it just hears noise. Private by design: your messages and location stay on your devices, never on a server or the cloud, and the key itself is stored in your device's secure Keychain, never in plain storage.

Trigger Group Alert and your exact location pings every member of your group, re-sending automatically until you cancel. Everyone gets the alert and sees your position on their map, so the people closest to you can move first. A countdown before it sends prevents false alarms.

No — and you should know this before you rely on it. Group Alert reaches your group, over radio, within range. It does not contact emergency services (911), and it is not a satellite messenger. For life-threatening emergencies or solo travel far from any partner, carry a satellite communicator or make sure you have cell coverage. Smoke Signal is built for keeping your group together — the fastest help is usually the person one ridge over.

None. There are no accounts to create, no cloud to sync to, no analytics, and no tracking. Your messages, locations, routes, and alert history live on your device and travel only to your group over local radio. We never see them — there's no server to send them to.

You can delete chat history, location history, or everything at once from the app's settings. Full details in our Privacy Policy.

No. Never. Satellite messengers charge monthly fees because satellite airtime costs money. Smoke Signal has no airtime to pay for — so we have nothing to charge you each month. No subscription, no activation fees, no airtime plans. Buy your devices once and your whole group stays connected.

A one-time purchase: your Smoke Signal devices — the Tag at $99 or the Pocket at $199 — or a kit to outfit the whole group. The app comes with them. Buy once, own it outright, like the rest of your gear. No subscription, no monthly fees.

A satellite messenger like a Garmin inReach is built to send short text messages and trigger an emergency rescue alert to emergency services via satellite, and it charges a monthly subscription plus per-message or annual fees. Smoke Signal is a different tool: a group system, not a personal beacon.

It shows your whole group on a live map and lets you all message freely, with no per-message charge and no subscription. The trade-off: Smoke Signal works only within radio range of your group and does not contact 911. It complements a satellite communicator for true emergencies — it doesn't replace one.

Smoke Signal is pre-launch and coming soon for iOS. Join the waitlist and we'll email you the moment the device and app are available — no spam, just the launch.