Public Groups
Public Groups are open discussion spaces designed for broader conversations beyond your direct contacts.
Unlike Private Groups, any member of a Public Group can invite others, making them suitable for community discussion, information sharing, and coordination across wider networks — without relying on centralized servers.
What are Public Groups?
Section titled “What are Public Groups?”Public Groups are:
- Decentralized group conversations
- Open to people outside your contact list
- End-to-end encrypted
- Organized into threaded discussions
There is:
- No central server
- No global directory
- No public search
You can only join a Public Group if someone shares it with you.
Creating a Public Group
Section titled “Creating a Public Group”Step 1 — Open Public Groups
Section titled “Step 1 — Open Public Groups”From the main menu, select Public Groups.
You’ll see a list of all Public Groups you belong to.
Step 2 — Create a new group
Section titled “Step 2 — Create a new group”Tap the plus (+) button to create a new Public Group.
Choose a name that clearly describes the purpose of the group, then confirm.
The group will be created immediately and added to your list.
Sharing a Public Group
Section titled “Sharing a Public Group”Unlike Private Groups, any member can invite others to a Public Group.
Step 1 — Open the group
Section titled “Step 1 — Open the group”Tap the Public Group you want to share.
Step 2 — Share the group
Section titled “Step 2 — Share the group”Use the share option to invite contacts.
Step 3 — Select contacts
Section titled “Step 3 — Select contacts”Choose one or more contacts to invite.
You may add an optional message explaining what the group is about before sending the invitation.
Invited contacts will receive a message allowing them to join.
Joining a Public Group
Section titled “Joining a Public Group”You can join a Public Group if:
- Someone shares it with you
- You receive a group invitation
Once accepted, the group will appear in your Public Groups list and begin syncing messages.
Posting and reading messages
Section titled “Posting and reading messages”Public Group conversations are thread-based:
- Anyone can start a new thread
- Anyone can reply to existing threads
- Threads help keep discussions organized
There are no admins, moderators, or hierarchy enforced by the protocol.
Current feature limitations
Section titled “Current feature limitations”At this time, Public Groups support text messages only.
The following features are not available in Public Groups:
- ❌ Images
- ❌ Voice messages
- ❌ Payment requests
- ❌ Offline location sharing
These limits are intentional and may evolve over time.
Leaving a Public Group
Section titled “Leaving a Public Group”Any member — including the creator — can leave a Public Group at any time.
- Leaving stops future message syncing
- Messages already received remain on your device
- Other members are not explicitly notified
A Public Group continues to exist as long as at least one member remains.
When the last member leaves, the group disappears.
Security and trust considerations
Section titled “Security and trust considerations”Public Groups operate under lower trust assumptions than private conversations.
Keep in mind:
- Anyone in the group can read what you post
- Group membership is visible to other members
- Messages may persist on other devices indefinitely
- There is no identity verification beyond invitations
Do not share sensitive personal, operational, or identifying information in Public Groups.
Public Groups are for discussion — not secrecy.
Public vs Private Groups
Section titled “Public vs Private Groups”| Use case | Recommended |
|---|---|
| Trusted coordination | Private Groups |
| Community discussion | Public Groups |
| Sensitive planning | One-to-one chats |
| Broad information sharing | Public Groups |
Choose the smallest trust surface that fits your needs.
Summary
Section titled “Summary”- Public Groups are open, decentralized discussion spaces
- Any member can invite others
- No central servers or discovery
- Thread-based conversations
- Text-only (for now)
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