Question 1

What can I do while I have internet?

Accepted Answer

You can add discoverable people from your phone contacts, exchange end-to-end encrypted messages beyond Bluetooth range, and make internet voice or video calls while the online service is reachable. If the network later fails, the same installed app can switch to supported nearby Bluetooth features.

Question 2

Do I need internet to download and install Crisis Connect?

Accepted Answer

Usually yes: downloading from Google Play or the App Store requires store access and an internet connection. After the app is installed, its local setup, QR contact exchange, and supported nearby communication can be used without live internet.

Question 3

Can I open and set up the installed app with zero internet?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can create the local profile and add a nearby person by QR without internet, an account, phone verification, or a SIM. Keep Bluetooth on, grant the requested nearby-device permissions, stay close together, and grant camera access on the scanning phone.

Question 4

Is Crisis Connect free?

Accepted Answer

The public mobile app is free to download and use, with no subscription required for its public features. Your carrier's normal data charges may still apply when you download the app or use online features.

Question 5

Which devices are supported?

Accepted Answer

The supported baseline is Android 7 or later and iOS 17 or later. Nearby features require compatible Bluetooth hardware; QR scanning requires a camera, and some field tools require the corresponding device sensor.

Question 6

Do I need an account or verified phone number?

Accepted Answer

No for local setup, QR pairing, and supported nearby communication. For phone-based adding, both people must have verified their numbers while online; the live Contacts lookup needs internet, while Nearby can pair them without current internet after that earlier verification.

Question 7

When is phone verification needed?

Accepted Answer

It is needed for phone-number discovery, not for QR pairing. Verification itself requires internet and an SMS-capable number; a person must also be discoverable before another verified user can find them through phone-based contact matching.

Question 8

Can Android and iPhone users communicate?

Accepted Answer

Yes, supported messaging and contact flows are designed to work across Android and iOS. Exact nearby call controls can differ by platform, OS version, and app build, so use the options shown on both devices.

Question 9

How can I add someone?

Accepted Answer

Use QR for a private nearby exchange with no internet or phone verification. Use Contacts while online when both numbers are verified and the other person is discoverable. Nearby can find a previously verified, opted-in contact over Bluetooth without current internet.

Question 10

Should I add trusted people before an emergency?

Accepted Answer

It is strongly recommended, but QR pairing can also be done during an outage if both installed phones are nearby and Bluetooth and permissions are available. Prepare contacts, permissions, offline maps, and any offline AI model before a crisis whenever possible.

Question 11

How does adding from my phone contacts work?

Accepted Answer

Grant contacts access and use the Contacts option while connected. Both people must have verified their phone numbers, the person being found must allow discovery, and the lookup needs internet at that moment.

Question 12

Can I add a phone contact through Nearby with no current internet?

Accepted Answer

Yes, after both people previously verified their numbers online. The person adding must have the target number in their address book; the nearby target must allow phone discovery, and the required contacts and Bluetooth permissions must be granted. The Nearby scan itself does not need current internet.

Question 13

Can I create a child or dependent profile?

Accepted Answer

Current mobile builds include a protected child or dependent profile managed on the device. The adult chooses parents from saved contacts and the other person must approve the link; confirmed parents can be prioritized for SOS. It is not a general-purpose tracking service, and controls can differ by platform.

Question 14

What can I send?

Accepted Answer

Direct chats support text, voice notes, photos, documents or files, and location. Availability and size limits depend on platform, permissions, and the online or nearby route; attachment support and retry behavior are not identical on every offline path.

Question 15

What do the message status indicators mean?

Accepted Answer

They show states such as queued, sending, sent, or delivered when the route provides confirmation. A sent or queued state is not a guarantee that the other device received or read the message, especially after devices move out of Bluetooth range.

Question 16

What happens when internet disappears while I am chatting?

Accepted Answer

The app can use an available online route or a supported nearby Bluetooth route. Text can remain pending and retry when a route returns, but delivery time is not guaranteed; attachments do not necessarily have the same retry behavior and may need to be sent again.

Question 17

Can I make voice or video calls offline?

Accepted Answer

Internet voice and video calls are available when both sides can use the online call service. Nearby offline voice is supported across the compatible mobile paths; current nearby video is limited to compatible iOS-to-iOS sessions. Bluetooth call quality and continuity are not guaranteed.

Question 18

Can I create private group chats?

Accepted Answer

Private one-to-one conversations are the dependable public-app path. Ordinary private friend or family groups are not supported consistently across all offline routes; responder channels and opt-in public mesh coordination are separate features with different access and privacy rules.

Question 19

Are group calls supported?

Accepted Answer

Do not rely on general group calling in the public app. The normal call experience is one-to-one, and available voice or video modes depend on connectivity, platform, permissions, and the controls shown in the current build.

Question 20

How far does offline Bluetooth communication reach?

Accepted Answer

There is no guaranteed distance. Range varies greatly with the phones, Bluetooth conditions, walls, rubble, people, interference, orientation, and battery settings; stay as close as safely possible and confirm delivery in the app.

Question 21

Does offline use require Bluetooth?

Accepted Answer

Yes for nearby discovery, direct offline messaging, nearby calls, and offline SOS broadcasting. Turn Bluetooth on and grant the requested nearby-device permissions; Android versions may also require location permission or the system location service for Bluetooth scanning.

Question 22

Can it work in airplane mode?

Accepted Answer

Often, if the phone lets you turn Bluetooth back on after enabling airplane mode. Operating-system and manufacturer behavior varies, so test your own device beforehand and check that Crisis Connect still shows Bluetooth as available.

Question 23

Does Crisis Connect use a mesh network?

Accepted Answer

Direct private chats use their supported direct or online routes. The public nearby mesh is a separate, explicit opt-in coordination channel and should not be treated as a private chat; responder mesh functions are controlled separately. Relay availability and message delivery are never guaranteed.

Question 24

Will Bluetooth work through rubble or collapsed buildings?

Accepted Answer

It may, but no penetration or rescue range can be promised. Dense concrete, metal, soil, device position, and battery state can sharply reduce signal; an enabled mesh may relay limited data through participating nearby devices, but it is not a substitute for official rescue channels.

Question 25

How much battery does offline mode use?

Accepted Answer

Use varies. Continuous scanning, advertising, calls, GPS, SOS, maps, and keeping the app active consume more power than idle use. Reduce screen brightness and unnecessary radios, but do not disable Bluetooth or permissions needed for the emergency feature you are using.

Question 26

What happens when I trigger SOS?

Accepted Answer

After the safety countdown, the app can broadcast a nearby Bluetooth SOS. When internet is available, it can also submit an operational report to authorized response systems and send an end-to-end encrypted alert to configured emergency contacts; online parts retry when connectivity returns.

Question 27

Does SOS work with no internet or SIM?

Accepted Answer

The nearby Bluetooth SOS broadcast can work without internet, cellular service, or a SIM when Bluetooth and required permissions are available. Dashboard delivery and emergency-contact notification are online operations and remain pending for retry; none of these paths guarantees that someone will receive or act on the alert.

Question 28

How do emergency contacts receive an SOS?

Accepted Answer

You can configure up to five emergency contacts, but only eligible contacts with an online identity can receive the end-to-end encrypted automatic alert. The current iOS notifier sends to at most three eligible contacts per SOS; Android may use the eligible selected or auto-ranked contacts. An offline alert retries after internet returns, so prompt delivery is not guaranteed.

Question 29

Can I cancel an accidental SOS?

Accepted Answer

Use the on-screen cancellation during the countdown. After transmission starts, stop or cancel controls can end further broadcasting where offered, but an alert already received by a nearby device, contact, or response system cannot be recalled.

Question 30

Who can see an SOS?

Accepted Answer

Nearby compatible rescue components may detect the Bluetooth signal. With internet, authorized response systems may receive the operational SOS report, while configured emergency contacts receive their encrypted contact alert. Medical details stay local and are exposed over Bluetooth only to a verified responder during an active SOS; availability never means someone is monitoring nearby.

Question 31

Does SOS automatically call 112, 911, or another emergency number?

Accepted Answer

No. Crisis Connect does not automatically place that call; where offered, it opens the phone dialer so you can call. Contact official emergency services first whenever they are reachable—Crisis Connect supplements them and does not dispatch an ambulance, fire service, or rescue team.

Question 32

How accurate is the location in an SOS or message?

Accepted Answer

Accuracy depends on permission, GPS reception, device sensors, power settings, and whether only a last-known fix is available. Indoors or under rubble it may be delayed, coarse, stale, or unavailable; never treat the displayed point as an exact guarantee.

Question 33

Do I need a map to share my location?

Accepted Answer

No. A phone can obtain GPS coordinates without internet and send them over a supported route even if no basemap is installed. A readable offline basemap is separate: download it beforehand or, on a supported path, receive a compatible saved map package from another device.

Question 34

How do I prepare offline maps?

Accepted Answer

While online, choose and download the regions you may need, then open them once to confirm they are stored. Compatible saved map packages can also be shared on supported devices. Downloads need free storage and can be large; map coverage, updates, and removal are managed separately from account data.

Question 35

Does GPS work without internet?

Accepted Answer

Yes, the phone can calculate coordinates from satellites without mobile data or Wi-Fi. The first fix may take longer and can fail indoors or under heavy obstruction; map tiles, address search, and fresh disaster information may still require downloaded data or internet.

Question 36

Which tools can work offline?

Accepted Answer

The bundled survival guide and device-based tools such as GPS or breadcrumb, compass, flashlight, whistle, CPR Assist, signal finder, and supported sensors can work locally when hardware and permissions allow. Maps and a fuller AI model must be prepared beforehand. Recent Disasters needs internet to refresh and may show only cached data offline; CPR Assist is not medical training or emergency care.

Question 37

Can Crisis Sentinel work offline?

Accepted Answer

Basic stored guidance can be available locally. Fuller on-device AI requires a compatible phone and a verified model downloaded before the outage; the model can be several gigabytes. Without it or sufficient storage, memory, and power, only the bundled local capabilities are available; cloud mode needs internet and an eligible role.

Question 38

Can I rely on Crisis Sentinel for emergency or medical decisions?

Accepted Answer

No. It is a support tool that can be incomplete or wrong, not an emergency dispatcher, doctor, or official authority. Verify its suggestions against trusted guidance, use your judgment, and contact qualified emergency or medical services whenever possible.

Question 39

Are my messages private?

Accepted Answer

Private messages are end-to-end encrypted, including supported online delivery, so relays should not read their content. Routing metadata may still be processed. SOS is an operational exception: its dashboard report intentionally exposes needed fields such as location, status, and battery to authorized response systems; the emergency-contact alert remains encrypted.

Question 40

What data does Crisis Connect process?

Accepted Answer

It minimizes data but does not process nothing. Online identity, directory matching, push delivery, routing metadata, account records, optional SOS operational data, and diagnostic data described by the current platform policy may be processed; private message content is protected with end-to-end encryption.

Question 41

Which permissions are needed?

Accepted Answer

Only features you use should request access: Bluetooth or nearby devices for offline links, camera for QR scanning, contacts for phone matching, location for sharing, maps, and some Android Bluetooth scans, microphone for voice, and notifications for alerts. Denying one can disable the related feature.

Question 42

What happens to my address book during phone discovery?

Accepted Answer

Online Contacts matching requires permission and, depending on the mobile build, sends normalized numbers or derived matching identifiers to the directory service for hash-based matching; do not assume the lookup stays entirely on the phone. Results are limited to verified users who allow discovery. The offline Nearby proof does not broadcast the raw phone number.

Question 43

What does deleting my account remove?

Accepted Answer

In-app deletion removes the account and associated cloud records within the documented scope and may require internet or recent authentication. Signing out is not deletion, and current local cleanup must not be treated as a promise to erase every device artifact: separately downloaded maps or models and some platform-specific local fields may remain and need separate handling.

Question 44

Is Crisis Connect open source?

Accepted Answer

The public source repositories make the implementation and protocols inspectable under their published licenses. Open source improves reviewability, but it is not by itself a guarantee that every build, device, connection, or security outcome will be flawless.

Question 45

Why can’t I find a nearby device?

Accepted Answer

On both phones, enable Bluetooth, grant nearby permissions, keep the app active, and move close together. On Android, also check any requested location permission or system location service. OS background limits, interference, walls, and incompatible or outdated builds can prevent discovery.

Question 46

Why won’t QR pairing work?

Accepted Answer

Give the scanning phone camera access, raise screen brightness, clean the lenses, fit the whole code in view, and stay close with Bluetooth enabled on both phones. Refresh an expired or unreadable code and confirm both apps are current; internet and phone verification are not required.

Question 47

Why is someone missing from Contacts search?

Accepted Answer

Confirm internet access and contacts permission, then make sure both people verified their numbers and the other person enabled discovery. Save the number with the correct country code, refresh the contact list, and retry after any verification or privacy-setting change.

Question 48

Why is a contact missing from Nearby?

Accepted Answer

Both people must already have verified their numbers online. The person adding needs the target number saved; the target must allow phone discovery, and the required contacts and Bluetooth permissions must be granted. Keep both apps active and phones close; current internet is not required, but earlier verification is.

Question 49

Why is my message still pending?

Accepted Answer

No usable online or nearby route may be available. Keep the app open, move closer for Bluetooth, or restore internet and let text retry. Pending does not guarantee eventual delivery, and a failed attachment may need to be selected and sent again.

Question 50

Why does nearby communication stop in the background?

Accepted Answer

Android and iOS can suspend Bluetooth or network work to save power. Allow Bluetooth, notifications, and available background access; relax aggressive Android battery restrictions, and do not force-quit the iOS app. Even with these settings, background discovery and delivery are not guaranteed, so keep the app open during critical use.

Question 51

Why can’t a call connect or stay connected?

Accepted Answer

Check microphone permission and the route shown in the app. Internet calls need working connectivity on both sides; nearby calls need Bluetooth, proximity, and compatible builds. Interference, background suspension, or route changes can end a call, and nearby video may not be available on every platform.

Question 52

Why is offline Sentinel unavailable or slow?

Accepted Answer

Check whether the on-device model was fully downloaded while online and whether the phone has enough storage, memory, power, and a supported OS or chipset. Reopen the model screen after download; if no local model is installed, offline use is limited to bundled guidance.

Question 53

Why am I not receiving notifications?

Accepted Answer

Enable Crisis Connect notifications in system settings and check focus, do-not-disturb, background, and battery restrictions. Online push also needs connectivity; nearby alerts need Bluetooth and permissions, and force-quitting on iOS can stop Bluetooth delivery. Android may show a persistent foreground-service notification while nearby work is active—this is expected.

Frequently Asked Questions

Basics

Adding contacts

Messages & calls

Bluetooth & offline

SOS & emergency

Maps & tools

Privacy & security

Troubleshooting

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