r/Freenet • u/fdqntn • Sep 13 '26
freenet Android Support
Is there any road map for mobile development of freenet apps?
I see that there is on github a freenet-mobile project that can run a node on android: https://github.com/freenet-mobile/app
Then a regular app could communicate with the node through local host.
This means that in theory, distributing an app for a decentralized service provided through freenet through F-droid is possible?
2
u/fdqntn Sep 13 '26
Just realised, most phone dont get an iP assigned on mobile networks, but rather sit behind a NAT. That is a big barrier to adoption as a node on a phone cant be reached.
1
u/nufra Sep 13 '26
Hyphanet can operate without being reachable directly as long as the other side is reachable, because it uses UDP hole punching – similar to how HTTP3/QUIC makes your computer reachable via UDP.
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u/fdqntn Sep 13 '26
The post is about the new freenet (not Hyphanet) though
1
u/nufra Sep 13 '26
I can’t help there. freenet-mobile/app is Hyphanet, so it’s not relevant for the new Freenet. (that’s why I thought you mean Hyphanet)
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u/fdqntn Sep 13 '26
Indeed, I understood a bit late that this for hyphanet and used it in the post
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u/nufra Sep 13 '26
no problem, misunderstandings happen and namechanges can make things a bit confusing :-)
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u/Jon_Hanson Sep 13 '26
Why would you want to? It would burn through battery really fast.
1
u/DeRobyJ Sep 13 '26
Well, to use the apps on mobile
Perhaps we could decrease the node activity for mobile?
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u/fdqntn Sep 13 '26
Blockchains have specific "light nodes" that use less resources. Maybe a similar approach would work
1
u/nufra Sep 13 '26
Please look into the existing app: it already has adaptations to conserve battery and also conserve mobile data (only go to full speed and power use when connected to wifi and wall-power): https://github.com/freenet-mobile/app/blob/master/app/src/main/java/org/freenetproject/mobile/services/node/Service.java#L32
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u/fdqntn Sep 13 '26
To summarize what I learnt from the River freenet channel: freenet works on mobile, some users report using github.com/HostFat/freenet-android-node even on cellular networks.
It might still consume a lot of CPU, RAM and data, so it is advised to pause it when not in use.
However, for android apps, some users recommend focusing instead on regular dApps that scale well in a mobile browser.
1
u/nufra Sep 13 '26
Freenet / Hyphanet used to work on Android (that’s what freenet-mobile/app is), but changes on Android broke it and we don’t have people who can maintain it. If you can take up maintenance of the Android version, you can ship it along with your own app through F-Droid.
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u/archmerguez Sep 13 '26
I tried developing an app that uses freenet under the hood for its own data only, but it can’t be done with the current state of things. I truly think that mass adoption can be done if freenet is not the main feature because people don’t care. Sadly.