Choose, set up, start talking

Pick the guide for the way you want to use Parlons. Each takes you from the download to your first conversation. The two Android apps do different jobs: Parlons! keeps your identity on your phone; Parlons Cloud connects to an account running elsewhere.

An iPhone app is not available yet. Android apps require Android 9 or newer. The desktop downloads below are for Apple silicon Macs, Windows 10/11, and Debian/Ubuntu on x86-64.

Parlons! on Android

Choose this if: you want to install one app and chat, without arranging an account server. Your identity, contacts and chats live on this phone. It connects through the Parlons relay network.

Install and create your identity

1. Download Parlons! 0.6.149 for Android on your phone.
2. Open the APK and tap Install. If Android asks, allow your browser to install apps.
3. Open Parlons!, choose your language and tap Create new identity.
4. Write all 24 words on paper, in order. Check them, then tap I've saved them. Keep them private: they control your identity and may also control a wallet.
5. Allow notifications. Open the three dots → Settings, enter Your name, and tap Set.
6. Check the Network tab: Connected means at least one relay is connected. You are ready to add a contact below.

Already have an identity? Use the backup and moving guide before restoring it. Creating a new identity gives you a different address. Restoring the same seed on several running devices is not a way to synchronise chats.

Keep it working: allow the app to run in the background in Android's battery settings. Update by installing the newer APK over the existing app; back up before uninstalling or clearing its data.

Parlons Desktop

Choose this if: you want your computer to be your Parlons Cloud. minimaCore Desktop and minimaDesk run a full Parlons Node with the same account services as a Cloud server: messages, calls, files, payments, paired devices and separate hosted accounts. Enable network contribution and port forwarding to provide its public relay service.

Run Cloud on your desktop

1. Install minimaCore Desktop or minimaDesk for your operating system. minimaDesk is also listed as MinimaClassic Desktop in the stores. You can find both through eurobuddha.
2. Complete the node setup and back up the seed. Use the Parlons Node kind and open the Parlons tab. Older installations may still use the classic node; follow the app's migration flow when switching an existing wallet.
3. Enable Contribute to the network in the desktop app's node/network settings. In Parlons → Node → Port forwarding, read the external port, internal port and Send to LAN address. Forward that TCP port on your router to the address shown, and allow it through the computer's firewall. Use the displayed values, not a port copied from another app.
4. Reserve that LAN address on your router and leave the computer awake and online. Check the panel for Reached from the internet. The public port serves Minima and the Maxima relay; the local account panel and admin RPC stay local. Pairing can work through other relays before forwarding, but accepting public relay traffic needs reachability.
5. Open Parlons → Devices, set the admin pairing password if needed, and choose New pairing code. Install Parlons Cloud on your phone, scan the invitation and connect. Repeat with a fresh invitation for each of your devices. They share this computer's account and conversations.
6. In Devices → Hosted accounts, enable hosting, create a separate account for your friend, then choose Show invitation or Copy tenant invite. Your friend pairs to that account. Built-in guest accounts provide chat, calls and files without your wallet or node controls; do not give friends your owner invitation.

For hosting and backups, see the Cloud manual. Calls in the desktop Parlons panel use its microphone/camera; allow access when prompted.

Alternative: standalone chat with MaximaNode

MaximaNode 1.5.118 is the separate standalone Parlons Desktop app. It can chat, share files and run a relay, but it is not the full desktop Cloud host described above. Choose minimaCore Desktop or minimaDesk for paired accounts and hosting friends.

1. Download the matching installer:
   • Mac, Apple silicon: MaximaNode-1.5.118-notarized.dmg. Open it and drag MaximaNode into Applications.
   • Windows 10/11: MaximaNode-1.5.118.msi. Open it and follow the installer.
   • Debian/Ubuntu, x86-64: maximanode_1.5.118_amd64.deb. In the download folder run sudo apt install ./maximanode_1.5.118_amd64.deb.
2. Open MaximaNode. This is the installed name of Parlons Desktop.
3. In Back up your Maxima seed, write the 24 words on paper in order and keep them private.
4. Open the three dots menu, enter Your name and click Set.
5. Check Network for a connection, then add a contact below. On desktop, paste their address; there is no QR camera scanner.

Calls: standalone MaximaNode supports messaging and files, but does not carry voice or video call audio. Use one of the Android apps for calls. Keep Desktop running to stay connected; use the tray icon's Quit when you want it to stop.

For installation problems or moving an existing identity, use the Parlons! manual.

Parlons Cloud: connect with an invitation

Choose this if: you already have an account invitation, or an account running on your own machine. The Android app is a remote view of that account: the identity and chat history live on the host. Multiple paired phones see the same account.

Before you start: get an invitation from your host or an already-paired device. If you do not have a host, follow host your own account first. A friend's contact QR lets you chat with them; a pairing invitation gives access to an account. They are different.

Install and pair

1. Download Parlons Cloud 0.2.94 for Android. Open the APK, allow installation if asked, and tap Install.
2. Open Parlons Cloud. Tap Scan pairing QR and scan your invitation. Or paste the complete invitation into Account address or pairing invite.
3. Tap Connect & pair. You should see Attaching to the network…, then Account found — pairing…, then your account opens.
4. Allow notifications. In More → Settings → This device, choose Keep running in the background if shown.
5. Open Node to check the account's connection and paired devices. Continue to your first conversation below.

If the code fails: it may already have been used or replaced. Ask for a fresh invitation. Codes work once. Keep invitations private until used; share your contact address when you only want someone to message you.

Add another phone: on a paired phone open Node → Pair my other device. Enter the admin password if asked; scan the new invitation on the new phone. To disconnect a lost phone, use Node → Paired devices → Revoke.

Using someone else's host: the operator can access the keys and history stored on that machine. Choose someone you trust. Built-in guest accounts provide chat, calls and files; they do not include wallet or node controls. Other hosted account types may differ. See the Cloud manual.

Alternative: lighter account hosting

Choose this if: you want your account to stay online while your phone is off, and want to pair several phones to it. Parlons Cloud server is the lighter option: it runs the account without a full Minima blockchain node. The Android Cloud app connects to it.

You need: a Mac, Linux computer, Raspberry Pi or Windows PC that stays awake and online. On Mac, install Java 11+ first, or have Homebrew available. Linux may ask for sudo to install dependencies. You do not need a domain for the account. This creates an account; for an existing identity, read moving an account first.

Install on the host machine

1. On Mac or Linux, open Terminal on the machine that will stay on and run:

   curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/eurobuddha/maxima/main/ops/get-parlons-cloud.sh | bash

   On Windows 10/11, open PowerShell and run:

   irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/eurobuddha/maxima/main/ops/get-parlons-cloud.ps1 | iex

   The Windows installer is supplied but has not yet been verified on Windows by its authors. Prefer a supported Linux host if you need an established server setup.

2. Wait for the installer to finish. It installs dependencies, downloads the release and starts the account. Keep the invitation it prints private. Mac/Linux can show a QR; Windows prints an invitation to paste.
3. On your Android phone, follow install and pair Parlons Cloud.
4. Open a new terminal on the host and run parlons status to check it. parlons panel opens its local web panel; parlons newcode creates another pairing invitation.
5. In the paired phone, use More → Settings → Show seed phrase to record your identity words privately, then Back up account… to save an encrypted backup.

Leave the host awake. Mac and Windows start the service at login; a sleeping or offline host cannot serve your account. The installer also enables a relay on TCP 9501 by default to help others. Account access works through outbound connections; public relay service additionally needs that port reachable. Hosting options and relay settings.

Everyday maintenance: parlons log shows the log. On Mac/Linux, parlons update updates the server; on Windows rerun the installer. Keep backups before updates. To give a friend their own identity, use Node → Manage hosted accounts, not an invitation to your own account. Hosting friends.

Run your Parlons Cloud node

Run Parlons Cloud to give the network its fullest support. Your always-on machine runs a full Minima node and a full relay, keeps your account available on multiple paired devices, and lets you invite friends to separate tenant accounts. Each friend gets their own identity, contacts and conversations.

The software you install for this complete Cloud setup is called Parlons Node. The Android Parlons Cloud app connects your phone to it. The future iPhone app will use this same approach; it is not available yet.

You need: always-on Linux with systemd and sudo/root access, 2 GB of RAM or more, an x86_64 or aarch64 CPU and a public IPv4 address (a VPS, or a 64-bit Raspberry Pi 4/5 behind a router with the ports forwarded). Plan RAM and growing chain storage with the Node requirements: the MegaMMR wallet gateway wants 4 GB or more.

Install, pair and check

1. Run this in the server's terminal:

   curl -fsSL https://parlons.info/install.sh | bash

   One command, one process, every service: a full Minima node, the Parlons relay and your always-on account, the keets transport with a public DHT bootstrap node and keets mailbox, and the DEX relay served over HTTPS. The box names itself <a-b-c-d>.sslip.io for the HTTPS parts; if you own a domain, point an A record at the box and add --host node.example.com. All options are in the Node manual.

2. The installer adds Java and Caddy if needed, starts a system service and opens 9001/tcp, 9501/tcp+udp, 49737/udp and 80 + 443 in supported active host firewalls. Open the same ports in any provider firewall or home router. Chain sync can take longer than account startup.
3. When asked, set an admin pairing password, then enter it to show your invitation QR. If you need it later, run sudo parlons-pair --admin.
4. On your Android phone, follow install and pair Parlons Cloud. Scan the invitation, then tap Connect & pair.
5. Check the server with systemctl is-active parlons-node. Read recent logs with sudo journalctl -u parlons-node -n 50 --no-pager. The last lines of the install name your DEX relay URL and print the box's keets mailbox key; send that key to the list maintainer so the box can hold mail for offline phones.
6. Follow seeds, identity and backups. The chat identity and node wallet phrase can differ; preserve both where applicable.

Use Node in the paired app for account and device management. Node owners also get node tools; guests do not. For updates, monitoring and recovery, keep the Node manual handy.

Use your account on your other devices

1. On your already-paired phone, open Node → Pair my other device.
2. Enter your admin password when asked. Show the new QR or copy the invitation.
3. On your other Android device, install Parlons Cloud, scan or paste that invitation, and tap Connect & pair. It opens the same account, contacts and conversations. Create a fresh invitation for each device.

Pairing gives access to the existing account; it does not create another independent copy of your identity. For computer access through the paired command-line client, see driving an account from another machine. Installing standalone Parlons Desktop does not pair it automatically.

Invite friends to their own tenant accounts

A tenant is a separate account hosted on your Cloud node. Your friend can use Parlons without running their own server, while keeping their own identity and conversations.

1. On your paired phone, open Node → Manage hosted accounts.
2. The first time, select Hosting options → Enable hosting. The admin password must already be set. Keep your node running to keep your friends online.
3. Tap Create account, enter a name for your friend’s account, and tap Create.
4. Tap Refresh until it shows running. Select that account and choose Show invitation.
5. Give this invitation privately to your friend. They install Parlons Cloud, scan or paste it, and tap Connect & pair.
6. For another friend, create another tenant account. Use Pair my other device only when adding devices to your own account.

The built-in host supports up to ten chat-only guest accounts: messages, calls and files, without your wallet or node controls. A separate tenants service also supports full accounts with their own wallets; see hosting options. As the host, you store their account data and keys, so invite people who trust you and help them keep backups.

Help the network, and prepare for iPhone

Keep the node online and its full relay reachable so it can carry other people’s messages as well as yours. Check the external reachability instructions after setting up your firewall or router.

Parlons Cloud will be the way to use Parlons! on iPhone. The iPhone app will connect to your own Cloud node or to a tenant account on a friend’s node. It is not available yet; the account and hosting model are already here.

Your first conversation

1. Ask your friend for their contact address or contact QR, not their pairing invitation.
2. Open Contacts → + Add (Desktop: Add contact).
3. On Android, scan their QR or paste the full address. On Desktop, paste it. Tap Introduce myself.
4. Wait for their device to answer the introduction. If it is offline, the contact may not appear immediately.
5. Open the contact's chat, type a message and press the send arrow. Ask them to reply.

To let someone add you, share your address from Contacts. Keep the whole address intact. People using different Parlons versions can message each other.

Everyday use

• Messages: open Chats, choose the conversation and type. A queued indicator means waiting; one tick means a relay has the message; two ticks mean the recipient's device confirmed it. A read indicator depends on read receipts being enabled.
• Photos and files: open a chat and use Attach. On Android choose Photo library or Private file, select the item and send it. For Desktop's file-transfer options, see the app manual.
• Calls: use Voice call or Video call in an Android chat or the Parlons panel inside minimaCore Desktop/minimaDesk, and allow microphone/camera access. The standalone MaximaNode chat app does not carry call audio or video.
• Groups: on Android open Chats → New group, name it, select contacts and tap Create.
• Notifications: allow notifications and background operation in Android settings. Cloud additionally needs its account host to stay online.
• Payments: in a wallet-enabled one-to-one chat, choose Attach → Send payment, select Minima or MxUSD and enter the amount. Check the recipient and amount before confirming. Payments settle on the public Minima blockchain; encrypted chat does not make them anonymous. Chat-only guest accounts do not offer payments. Payment instructions.

Back up before you need it

The 24 words recover an identity, not your old chat history. Write them on paper and store them privately. Do not send them to anyone or enter them on a website. Keep any separate wallet phrase too.

• Parlons! Android: Settings → Keys & security → Back up identity… creates an encrypted .pbk. It includes identity, contacts and settings, but not chat history.
• Parlons Cloud: More → Settings → Keys & backup → Back up account… creates an encrypted .pbk including contacts and chat history. Media and private-file payloads are not included.
• Desktop: record your seed; read backups and moving before changing computers.

Save the backup somewhere other than the device being backed up, and keep its password safe. It cannot be recovered for you. To use one account on several phones, pair them to a host; do not run copies of the same seed independently.

If something does not work

Full instructions: Parlons! manual, Cloud manual, Node manual. If you report a problem, include the app name, version, device and exact error. Never include seeds, passwords or unused pairing invitations.

Current downloads

The apps and servers have separate version numbers. A bigger number does not mean a better choice. Release notes and checksums are on GitHub.