Dostupno is supposed to allow users to send messages without using an Internet connection. But some users are reporting security issues
The claim chosen for the launch is one that gets anyone’s attention. The anti-WhatsApp app that works without the Internet. With these credentials, Dostupno has managed to gain the attention of industry publications and thousands of users, who have downloaded it and tested it on their Android and iPhone devices.
Two months after its launch, the time has come to take stock of the app’s effectiveness, its functionality and the problems encountered by users who have used it. As we already pointed out in our article, the very first reviews on the Google Play Store were not positive, a sign that the messaging platform still needed to be broken in. But in these two months the situation has certainly not improved. As tech journalist Paolo Attivissimo points out, many complain about problems in the app’s operation, and on Reddit some users have reported anomalies in the app that endanger the security of people’s data.
Dostupno, the app that promises to send messages offline
Since its official release, Dostupno has captured the attention of users thanks to its promise to send messages to friends simply by using the phone line, without being connected to the Internet. According to the app’s developers, this was possible thanks to the algorithm they had built. But it was enough to use the app for five minutes to understand that what they were telling you was not entirely true.
Dostupno allows you to send messages without using the Internet connection, but these are messages that the user where to set through the application and that cannot have multimedia content. Moreover, in order to receive the messages sent with Dostupno the recipient must also install the app on the smartphone. But that’s not all. When you send the message, our friend’s smartphone starts ringing for a time ranging from 20 to 50 seconds. And you have to be lucky that the recipient of the message doesn’t answer the call.
Dostupno, problems for data security
Some users intrigued by the initial success of the app (it has collected over 50,000 downloads in a short time) have analyzed the code of Dostupno and have discovered some worrying anomalies for the security of user data.
To understand the problems of the application just read carefully the analysis made on Reddit by user Lo_acker. The application is a real sieve when it comes to personal data security. The database where pre-set messages and people’s phone numbers are saved is easily accessible and anyone can get in, steal the information and use it for illicit purposes. The developers of Dostupno cite security as one of the main features of the application, but as this investigation shows it is actually not true.
Unless the programmers intervene, at the moment using the application puts your personal data at risk. So, be careful.