Serval Mesh is the Serval Project's flagship product. It is a free and open-source app for Android 2.2 “Froyo” and later, under continuous development. The latest official release of the Serval Mesh app is freely available from Google Play.

Serval Mesh allows people to make voice calls, send text messages and share files with other Serval Mesh users, without requiring infrastructure like satellites, cell phone towers, Wi-Fi hot spots, or radio repeaters. The primary motivation is to provide resilient communications during crisis and disaster situations, when vulnerable infrastructure like phone cell towers and mains electricity are cut off. Serval Mesh is also useful for remote communities who lack conventional telephone services, small organisations who need an internal telephone system, and dissidents in oppressive countries that deny or monitor their citizens' telecommunications.

Serval Mesh uses an Android device's Wi-Fi in Ad Hoc mode to communicate directly with other devices within range. To do so requires root permission on the Android device. On devices where root permission is not available, Serval Mesh can communicate using Wi-Fi in the normal Client mode, which requires an Access Point within range. Serval Mesh can use standard Internet connections such as 3G mobile data, home/office Wi-Fi router-modems, and wired networks (USB or Ethernet) to communicate with other devices.

The Supported Devices page lists all the Android devices that have been tried with Serval Mesh. If your device is not in the list, and you try it out anyway, please contact the Serval Project to let us know how it went.

There are three options for installing Serval Mesh on an Android device:

1. To install the current release, simply download from Google Play.
2. The slightly more adventurous may download an APK file directly from the servalproject.org Software page, which is usually the current release but is sometimes a beta version (release candidate) of the next release. These instructions for installing an APK file may prove helpful once you have downloaded.
3. The truly adventurous may build and install from source code which gives access to all versions, from old releases to the latest unreleased code under development.

Once installed, refer to Serval Mesh installation notes for guidance through the installation process.

There is a Privacy Policy for the current version of the software.

• Version 0.90.1 was released in February 2013 to correct serious issues in Version 0.90 “Shiny”

• Version 0.91 is currently in Beta testing
• if you register with Google Play as a Beta tester, you can install and update the latest Beta version directly from Google Play
• http://developer.servalproject.org/files/unstable/ contains the latest Beta builds for those who don't agree to Google Play's terms of service

• Hotfix releases 0.91.1, 0.91.2, etc. might be made to correct any serious issues with Version 0.91
• Versions 0.92, 0.93 etc. interim releases might be made during the second half of 2013
• Version 1.0 “Showtime” is planned for release in late 2013
• Technology Roadmap lists features under consideration for 1.x and 2.x releases

To report a bug in Serval Mesh, please refer to the following instructions:

• how to report bugs to the Serval Project - for the procedure to follow
• information for Serval Mesh developers - to work out under which repository to file the report

If that is not your cup of tea, you may wish to contact the Serval Project directly.

The instructions for Serval Mesh developers are for anybody interested in contributing to the development of Serval Mesh software.

• Version 0.90 “Shiny” was released in January 2013
• Version 0.08 was released in late June 2012
• Version 0.07 was released in December 2011
• Version 0.06 was released in September 2011