Why We're Building It
Because the Router Still Works
When the Internet Doesn't
Every calling app you use is built on the same assumption: that you have a working internet connection, an account with a company, and a route to that company's servers. For most calls that's fine. But it means that when two people in the same office want to talk, their voices go out to a data centre and back again — and when the internet connection drops, they can't talk at all, even though the Wi-Fi router between them never stopped working.
There are plenty of places where that assumption fails. A clinic that doesn't want patient conversations leaving the building. A warehouse with a strong Wi-Fi network and a weak uplink. A ship, a film set, a disaster area, a school with filtered internet, a country where calling apps are blocked. The traditional answer — a PBX or SIP system — works, but it takes an IT department to install and maintain.
ZooCall is the simple version of that answer: install it, type your name, and the people on your network appear. It is built in the open under the MIT licence, on a documented protocol, with encryption that cannot be switched off. It isn't finished — the roadmap on GitHub says exactly what works on real devices today and what's still being tested — and the best way to shape what ships first is to follow along.
Local Network Only
A router or a hotspot is all it needs.
No Accounts
Identity is a key pair, not a phone number.
Always Encrypted
Noise XX and DTLS-SRTP, on by default and for good.
Phone to PC
Android and desktop from one shared codebase.
Built in the Open
MIT-licensed, with a public plan and roadmap.
Made for Teams
Group calls, push-to-talk, and Knock for shared spaces.