Android
Install
Section titled “Install”Download the APK from Releases and open it.
For most phones, wisp-arm64-v8a.apk is the right choice; if you’re unsure, the
universal APK runs everywhere. Android will ask you to allow installation from your
browser or file manager the first time.
See Installation for the full list of APK variants.
Background delivery
Section titled “Background delivery”Wisp receives messages peer-to-peer, so the app has to keep a lightweight connection open to hear about new ones. To do that reliably on Android:
Foreground service
Section titled “Foreground service”Wisp runs a foreground service — a persistent, low-priority connection that lets messages arrive while the app is in the background or closed. Android requires an ongoing notification for this (“Wisp is running so messages can arrive”). You can’t remove that requirement, but you can hide the notification:
Settings → Apps → Wisp → Notifications → Connection → turn off.
The service keeps running; only the notification is hidden.
Battery optimization
Section titled “Battery optimization”Aggressive battery savers can freeze the service and delay messages. For reliable delivery, set Wisp to Unrestricted:
Settings → Apps → Wisp → Battery → Unrestricted
On Samsung devices, “Unrestricted” is stronger than adding the app to “Never sleeping apps,” so the battery side is fully handled by that one setting.
Notifications
Section titled “Notifications”- While the app is open, notifications for the chat you’re currently viewing are suppressed — you’re already looking at it.
- While the app is backgrounded or closed, new-message notifications are posted from native code, because the app’s UI layer is frozen when it isn’t on screen.
Privacy on Android
Section titled “Privacy on Android”Wisp does not request access to your contacts, camera, microphone, or location. It uses only network access, the foreground service, and the notification permission. See the Privacy Policy for the full breakdown.