Dropby

Share your location with no middleman.

Just you and your friends. No snooping, no selling your data. Built on the Signal protocol — your location is encrypted end-to-end before it leaves your phone.

Download the Android APK

Early beta — iOS coming soon

Why you can trust it

Built on the Signal protocol

The same end-to-end encryption that protects Signal messages protects your location. The server can't see where you are — not because of policy, but because of math.

Will be independently audited when open-sourced

Dropby will be open-sourced and independently audited at v1. Until then: the Signal protocol itself is well-studied, and the server is architecturally blind to location data — it only relays ciphertext.

No analytics. No telemetry. No ads.

The app doesn't phone home. There's no tracking code, no usage metrics collected, and no advertising SDK. The landing page you're reading right now loads zero third-party resources.

How it works

  1. 1

    Add a friend by scanning their QR code

    You exchange QR codes in person. This establishes a Signal protocol session — a direct cryptographic link between your two devices. No server involved.

  2. 2

    Your location is encrypted on your phone

    Before anything leaves your device, your GPS coordinates are encrypted with your friend's session key. The server receives ciphertext it cannot decrypt.

  3. 3

    Your friend's phone decrypts it

    Only their device has the key to read your location. The server is a relay — it passes along bytes it can't understand.

Install the beta

Dropby isn't on the Play Store yet. It's an early beta — the team wants to test and harden the app before submitting for v1. For now, you install it directly from an APK.

  1. 1.
    Download the APK from the link above on your Android phone.
  2. 2.
    Open the downloaded file. Android will warn you about installing from unknown sources. This is expected — it's the standard prompt for any app not installed via the Play Store. Tap Settings and enable installation from your browser.
  3. 3.
    Install and open Dropby. You'll be walked through a short onboarding — no account or email required.
  4. 4.
    Add a friend by scanning their QR code. You need to be together in person for the first exchange. After that, location sharing works anywhere.
Expect rough edges. This is an early beta. Things may break or change. If something goes wrong, reach out at hello@dropby.now — feedback is welcome.

What's ahead

  • In progressiOS app
  • At v1Open-source the full codebase
  • At open-sourceIndependent security audit

No dates promised. The list above is the order of priorities, not a timeline.