Built for the places the signal ends.
1Bar started on a trail with no cell service and a group that could not stay in touch. We built the tool we wished we had: group chat that keeps working when the signal does not.
Most apps assume a tower or a Wi-Fi network is always there. On a ski hill, a boat, a festival field or a job site, it often is not. 1Bar passes encrypted messages from phone to phone over Bluetooth, so a Crew of people who are together can keep talking, check in with one tap, and send an SOS card to the rest of the Crew.
It is made for the people who look after groups first, guides and trip leaders, and for any Crew that spends time out of signal. We have worked hard to make it fast to start and easy to use with gloves on, in bright sun or in the dark.
Four lines we will not cross
We ask for as little as possible.
No accounts, no phone numbers, no sign-in. People nearby tap to join your Crew, and that is all it takes.
No ads. No tracking. Nothing to sell.
We do not run ads, follow you around, or sell anything about you to anyone.
We cannot read your messages.
Messages are encrypted between the phones in your Crew and are stored encrypted on your phone. In Settings, Leave and forget deletes everything 1Bar keeps on your phone.
We would rather be honest than impressive.
Bluetooth range is limited and messages may take time to arrive. An SOS card alerts your Crew, not emergency services. Everyone in a Crew needs 1Bar.
Who is behind it
1Bar is made by Steamboat Software, an independent studio that makes privacy-first apps: small, focused tools that do one job well and respect the people using them. We are not backed by advertising, and we do not answer to a data business. That independence is what lets us keep the lines above.
1Bar has not been released yet. We will say so plainly until it is.