Suggestion: Ability to transfer App APK to another android device via BT (or other non-network dependent method)

As a suggestion for a release in the distant future…

It would be cool if the Meshtastic Android App could send a copy of itself to a nearby Android device without the need for a network (i.e via Bluetooth or ad-hoc Wifi).

This would allow one users to connect to the Meshtastic mesh in an unplanned situation (i.e. a natural disaster).

The open source Serval Project (attempting a disaster-proof wifi mesh network via Android) has implemented this feature. So if a template is required, it might be a good starting point:
http://developer.servalproject.org/dokuwiki/doku.php

The use case for this feature would be:

  • User A has appropriate LoRa hardware to create an ad-hoc mesh in a location.

  • An interruption has caused to the existing telecommunication infrastructure to fail (Earthquake, Storm, Authoritarian Governmental decree etc). This same interruption prevents all Android device owners in the immediate vicinity from accessing the Google Play Store.

  • User A wishes establish a Meshtastic Network and include Users B, C, D, E, F, G who until this point were strangers to User A.

  • With this feature, User A meets User B and transfers the Meshtastic Android App to User B via Bluetooth.

  • User B moves to the location of User C and transfers the Meshtastic Android App to User C via Wifi-Driect.

  • rinse and repeat… each User sharing the Android App (and channel info) with all new Users.

  • Now User A can talk to their neighbours via Meshtastic and work around the network interruption.

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interesting idea. Added to the 1.1/1.5 idea list so it won’t be forgotten:

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Not trying to dissuade this feature, but the Amaze file browser/manager app allows extracting and sharing installed .apk files with or without internet if you don’t want to wait.

GitHub

There may be other projects with similar features.

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