TiniTalk
A simple app for voice and video calls with family and friends.
Key features
Who it is for
For families, close friends, and anyone who needs a backup way to keep in touch.
When your usual messaging apps are unreliable.
When you need something simple for parents and grandparents.
When you value privacy and want to keep your calls off other people's cloud services.
Is it free?
Yes. TiniTalk is free, but it needs your own small server.
Free: the calls themselves, the calling app, the setup app, and the server program.
You’ll need to pay for: renting a server on the internet. You set it up once for your close circle. It’s simple.
Current project status
The main TiniTalk client is currently the Android app. It supports private one-to-one audio and video calls, plus screen sharing during a call. Group calls are not yet supported.
There is an experimental web version for iPhone. It can be installed on the home screen and used almost like a native app, apart from a few browser limitations.
Getting started
Usually, one person sets up TiniTalk for their family and close friends. Everyone else simply installs the app and starts talking.
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Rent a VPS
A VPS (Virtual Private Server) is a small virtual server on the internet. You can rent one from any provider you trust. We do not sell servers and are not tied to any particular company.
For a family, the cheapest VPS plan is usually enough (1 vCPU, 512 MB of RAM, and a little disk space). If you expect many simultaneous video calls, choose a plan with good network speed and enough traffic allowance.
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Set up the server with TiniTalk Admin
Open the TiniTalk Admin app, add your VPS, and start the installation. The app will prepare the server and check that it is reachable. Then create user accounts and give your family and friends the server address, username, and temporary password for the first sign-in.
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Install the app and add your contacts
Download TiniTalk for Android or get the APK from your server owner. Install the app and grant permission to use the microphone, send notifications, and display full-screen incoming calls. Enter the server address, username, and temporary password. If asked, create your own password.
After signing in, add your family and friends by their usernames. To call each other, both people must add each other as contacts on the same server.
For server owners
You do not need server administration experience to set up TiniTalk for your family. Simply open the TiniTalk Admin app and enter your rented VPS address and the administrator's username and password. The app takes care of the rest.
With TiniTalk Admin, you can:
- fully configure the server in one click: install TiniTalk, configure the firewall, obtain TLS certificates, and set up Web Push — you do not need to understand these terms;
- add users and give them first sign-in details;
- update TiniTalk Server to a new version.
If you are comfortable working with servers and familiar with Debian and SSH, TiniTalk Admin is optional. You can install and configure the server manually, with full control over every step.
Only the person maintaining the server needs TiniTalk Admin. Everyone else just needs the regular TiniTalk calling app.
For users
If you just want to make calls, it works like a regular phone: choose a contact, tap “Call”, answer an incoming call, turn on speakerphone, or mute the microphone.
Give contacts familiar names, such as “Mom” or “Grandpa”, and choose a photo to make your family and friends easier to recognize when calling.
Making a call
Open the contact you want and tap “Call”.
Answering an incoming call
Incoming calls appear over the lock screen, even when the app is closed.
Speakerphone and microphone
During the call, you can toggle speakerphone and mute the microphone.
Video
You can turn on the camera during a call or keep it audio-only.
Screen sharing
During a call, you can share your phone screen to help someone with settings or an app.
Call statuses
The call history shows how each call ended: connected, failed to connect, busy, unanswered, or declined.
If a call does not come through
First, check your internet connection, Android permissions, and whether your server is reachable.
How it works
You do not need to understand what happens under the hood to use TiniTalk. If you are curious, there is a separate page about the server, calls, privacy, and unreliable networks.
About the project
Why we started TiniTalk
Recently, familiar calling apps have become unreliable in some parts of the world. You find yourself explaining to relatives how to configure their phones to get connected again. That is not always easy, especially when you live far apart.
We chose another approach: rent a small VPS, set it up in a few taps with TiniTalk Admin, and connect our family's phones to it.
Who builds TiniTalk
There is no company, commercial team, or investor behind TiniTalk. The project is developed by enthusiasts in their spare time.
Open source
TiniTalk is an open-source project. The source code for the server, calling app, and TiniTalk Admin is published so that anyone can study it, review it, build it themselves, and adapt it to their needs.
0BSD license
TiniTalk's own code is released under the Zero-Clause BSD (0BSD) license. It permits using, copying, modifying, and distributing the code for any purpose, including commercial use. The license does not require attribution, publication of changes, or disclosure of the source code of derivative projects.
Third-party libraries retain their own licenses. The official 0BSD license text is available from the Open Source Initiative.
AI in development
We use AI tools when working on code, the interface, and documentation. People make the decisions. You can review the result in the open-source code.
Project independence
TiniTalk is completely free. You only pay for your own VPS rental from a provider of your choice. Payment goes directly to the provider. TiniTalk's authors are not affiliated with any hosting provider: we receive no commissions or other compensation from them and do not advertise their services.
We do not ask for donations, gifts, advertising, public acknowledgments, or any other form of compensation.
We will not monetize the project. TiniTalk will have no subscriptions, paid features, advertising, or sales of user data.
We will not accept commercial investment or hand control of TiniTalk to investors. Commercial interests will not influence the project's development.
Disclaimer
TiniTalk is provided “as is”, without guarantees of availability, call quality, the security of any particular installation, or data preservation. If you install a server, you are responsible for your chosen VPS, domain, certificates, updates, backups, and access credentials.
TiniTalk has not yet undergone an independent security audit.
The project is not a telecommunications operator, a public cloud messaging service, a VPN service, or an emergency calling service. It should be considered an additional way for people to keep in touch after agreeing to use the same server.