Taftan

Taftan moves a message or a small file from one phone to another without the internet. No SIM, no Wi-Fi, no account, no server. The two phones never touch a network, so there is no carrier or platform in the middle to log, slow, or block the exchange.

Three offline channels

Sound (acoustic tones)
- Basic tones (700 to 1700 Hz) survive a phone call, a voice note, an old landline, or a noisy room. A short message takes about 10 to 17 seconds.
- Ultrasonic tones (17 to 19 kHz) are inaudible and made for same-room transfer at roughly 30 cm to 1 m.

QR codes
- Show a code on one screen and point the other phone's camera at it. Best for files in the same room, at about one megabyte per minute at room distance.

Hidden in a photo (Stego)
- Tuck a short message inside an ordinary-looking photo, then share that photo any way you like. Only someone with the password can read it.
- Normal mode does not change a single pixel, so the photo is identical to the original.
- Robust mode survives re-encoding by chat and social apps. PNG and JPEG covers are both supported.

Optional encryption
- Turn encryption on when sending and the contents are scrambled with AES-256-GCM from a password you choose. The password never leaves your phone and is never sent anywhere. Agree it with the other person through a separate channel.

Private by design
- No sign-in, no phone number, no profile.
- No analytics, no crash reporting, no telemetry.
- Nothing is tied to you on any server, because there is no server.

When it helps
- A deliberate internet shutdown or an outage.
- Meeting a source, client, or colleague in person.
- Sharing a number, a short briefing, or a small file that should not be retained by a third party.
- Anywhere the network itself is the thing you do not trust.

Taftan is a low-throughput tool for short messages and small files, not a replacement for everyday chat. It does one thing: get a little data from one phone to another with nothing in between.