User manual
Everything you need to set up and use Gart during the beta release.
1. What is Gart
Gart is a privacy-first emergency alert tool. It lets you share your location with trusted contacts, called Watchers, in the moment you need their help.
Gart runs no central servers and no live monitoring. All communication happens peer-to-peer over the Nostr relays, encrypted before it leaves your device and only decrypted by your Watchers.
We are building Gart for people who need their safety network to work without trusting our company's infrastructure.
2. Requirements
Gart requires Android 8.0 (Oreo) or later and also works with GrapheneOS. You need an active internet connection to send and receive alerts and have your Location turned on. You also need a Nostr account to log in; if you don't have one, Gart creates one for you in just one click during setup.
An iOS version is not yet available.
While waiting, consider getting a Google Pixel with GrapheneOS. Use the opportunity to own a good clean second phone with no identity attached, no spyware pre-installed and no walled garden system. If you're ready to exchange some time and comfort for more freedom and safety, our advisors guide you, step by step, through securing your devices (incl. for iPhones) or installing GrapheneOS..
3. Download & install
Gart is currently distributed through ZapStore, a Nostr-native app store that requires no account. Google Play distribution is planned for a future release.
download page
Install button
4. First launch and permissions
On first launch, Gart displays a login screen. After you log in, the app guides you through a few permissions required for the app to work properly. Each one directly affects whether alerts fire and arrive reliably. Skipping any of them will compromise the app's core function. The permission screen explains each one before you grant it, and all six can be confirmed from a single screen with Allow all.
Nostr account
Allow All screen
5. Core concepts
Gart uses a Nostr identity to connect you to your circle. If you don't have one, the app creates it in one tap. Everyone in your trusted circle receives a Nostr identity the moment they install the app.
When you first log in, your public identity announces that it's on Gart, so that your contacts can easily find you in Gart.
Chat messages, alerts, and group setup are fully encrypted. But your Nostr profile itself is public, like an email address or an X account, with an avatar, name, and npub visible to anyone.
To separate your alerts and communication from your public user identity, Gart generates a second, operational identity used for most actions inside the app. This is what lets you use a Remote signer for login while keeping day-to-day use frictionless (being asked to approve every individual signature would create hurdles at exactly the wrong moment).
The operational identity handles signing every action automatically in the background. Your main Gart identity can be used in any other Nostr-compatible apps.
Your group memberships and history are bound to your main user identity, not your device. If you lose your phone, simply install Gart on a new one and log in with your user ID or your Remote signer.
Gart keeps two types of backup:
- App data backup. Your group data, memberships, and settings are backed up automatically every day and whenever you log out. You can also trigger it manually at any time from Settings > Backup.
- Key backup. If you created your Gart account directly in the app, you will be prompted to back up your private key from Settings > Backup. This step is important: your key is the only way to recover your identity if you lose access to your device. If you logged in with a Remote signer app, your key is managed by that app and no separate key backup is needed.
Backup page
A group is a private encrypted channel between you and your Watchers. Everything inside a group is visible only to its members.
As a Watcher you can belong to multiple groups simultaneously. As a Group Owner you have one group of trusted people, your family members, closest friends, close protection or security manager, your team.
Every Test Alert locks two things in place: the message and the location, always pointing to a fixed coordinate on Mount Everest.
Watchers receive the notification, hear the alarm sound and see the response screen. Your real coordinates stay private. Run a Test Alert with every one of your Watchers before you rely on the real one.
We don't create centralized honey-pots with user data and have removed ourselves as a central point of failure from the alert delivery.
The group Watchers receive the message shortly and decrypt its contents. The message and the location are the two things your Watchers will act on, preventing panic and focusing on quick response.
Write the alert message before you need to. It should include the key information for Watchers: instructions, key contacts, duress and safe word, or how to verify whether the alerter is alright.
6. Set up your Group
Upon first login, your Group is created automatically.
To find existing Gart users directly in the app:
- Search by username or npub (the Gart identity).
- Scan their profile QR code to pull up their profile and send an invite to them in one step.
For contacts who don't have Gart yet, copy an invitation link in your User Profile and share it via Signal, email, or any channel you use together. The link guides them to Gart installation. Once they're in, you can add them in your Group through the + Add Watcher button.
username / npub
scan & invite
To remove a member from your group, go to the Group management page, tap the Watcher you want to remove, and select Remove. The removed Watcher will no longer receive alerts and will lose access to the group.
Watchers can also leave a group themselves from the same Group management page.
remove member
confirmation
Once you receive a group invitation, tap the notification or open the chat with the inviter and tap Accept or Decline.
- If you Decline, the sender will be notified and the invitation will be removed.
- If you Accept, you will be added as a Watcher to their group.
Accept / Decline
7. Define response - edit alert message
When your trigger alert, your Watchers need specific instructions to able to respond quickly and with calm confidence. An emergency is not the moment to scramble for basic information, or to invent how to approach you, and verify whether you're under duress.
Go to your group detail and edit your Alert message.
- Contact methods. Add ways how your first responder (the Watcher who clicks I'm handling this) should contact you. Provide one or two ways to reach you on the phone.
- Safe and duress words. Add your safe and duress words, or a way how to challenge you to verify duress. The call should not start with "Hey John, I received an alert, are you ok?" We can teach you how to do this without raising suspicion in Gart trainings.
- Important information. Leave any other important information, such as contact to your lawyer or your security officer at your company or your health information and medication needs.
- Emergency services. For urgencies, leave instructions on How to inform the police or rescue services. Your description, basic information like your name, date of birth etc.
- Other requests. What else would you like to add? Let us know by submitting a feature request directly in the app (Shake the phone while Gart is open).
edit message
message
8. Trigger alert
Test Alerts are available from within the group screen. Select the Test Alert option, confirm, and hit & hold the button for about 2 seconds.
Your Watchers receive a notification clearly marked as a test. The location is always Mount Everest, not your real position. Use Test Alerts to verify that every Watcher in your group receives alerts reliably.
Gart broadcasts your current GPS coordinates to the group as a message. Watchers can open your location in their default maps application.
While the alert is active, Gart updates your location every 15 minutes.
To stop the alert, open the app's main screen and hold the button for 2 seconds.
No internet connection? The app will display a warning at the top of the screen but still allow you to hold and trigger the alert. After triggering, it will show a "Network error" message and keep retrying in the background. Restore your connection as soon as possible so the alert reaches your Watchers.
alert blocked
retrying…
Together with the location, Gart broadcasts a default alert message. You can edit this message before sending the alert. Include the most important instructions: whom to contact and what action to take. Once sent, the message cannot be edited.
Alert button
message
broadcasting
broadcasting
9. Respond to alert - the Watcher perspective
When an alert fires, Watchers receive an urgent notification that breaks through the lock screen. It sounds at maximum volume regardless of phone settings, disregarding Do Not Disturb mode.
Inside the group, Watchers see:
- The alert message written by the Group Owner.
- The Group Owner's current GPS coordinates as text.
- An Open in Maps button that launches the coordinates in their device's default maps application.
- An I'm handling this button.
alert notification
Open in Maps
Watchers can tap an I'm handling this button in response to an active alert. This posts a visible acknowledgment inside the group, but doesn't send any device notification to the alerter. Only the Watchers will be able to see in the group chat who is actively involved. This allows a well organized response even if there are multiple Watchers aware of the ongoing emergency
10. Beta testing: Report issues and feedback
Your feedback can shape the product. Report problems, bugs or feature requests directly from the app.
- From anywhere in the app, shake your device the moment you spot an issue.
- A screenshot is captured automatically. If you'd prefer not to include it, remove it from the Report Issue screen before sending or add another screenshot.
- If you'd like a response, include your email address in the report form.
- Add a brief description and tap Send. The report and its technical logs are sent to our support team.
You can also reach the feedback form via Settings > Report an Issue.
auto-screenshot
+ description
For questions and to share your npub with other testers, use our beta testers group.
To join the group you need to sign up to Beta Testing and wait for an invite link.
11. Privacy & data
We are building Gart with one position on data: collect nothing you don't need. There is no account on Gart servers. No registration. No data linked to your identity.
All communication travels device to device via the Nostr network. Every piece of data is encrypted before it leaves your phone. Gart cannot read your messages or access your location. Read full Privacy Policy.
When the app crashes, the app sends a technical report to the team. It contains crash data only, no message content, no location. A separate analytics service records anonymous usage patterns to help us improve the app. We collect no personally identifiable information. Nothing traces back to you.
12. Updates
Gart releases updates at least once a week during the beta, or more frequently when fixes are ready. ZapStore notifies you when a new version is available, please install updates as frequently as possible.
13. Get help
The Signal group is the primary support channel during the beta. To join the group, you need to sign up as a beta tester first. Ask questions or share your Gart identity, so other testers can find you.
For bugs and technical errors, use Shake to Report in the app. It captures the context the team needs automatically. The group chat cannot.
If you prefer direct conversations, you can also reach us via the contact form.
User manual
Everything you need to set up and use Gart during the beta release.
1. What is Gart
Gart is a privacy-first emergency alert tool. It lets you share your location with trusted contacts, called Watchers, in the moment you need their help.
Gart runs no central servers and no live monitoring. All communication happens peer-to-peer over the Nostr relays, encrypted before it leaves your device and only decrypted by your Watchers.
We are building Gart for people who need their safety network to work without trusting our company's infrastructure.
2. Requirements
Gart requires Android 8.0 (Oreo) or later and also works with GrapheneOS. You need an active internet connection to send and receive alerts and have your Location turned on. You also need a Nostr account to log in; if you don't have one, Gart creates one for you in just one click during setup.
An iOS version is not yet available.
While waiting, consider getting a Google Pixel with GrapheneOS. Use the opportunity to own a good clean second phone with no identity attached, no spyware pre-installed and no walled garden system. If you're ready to exchange some time and comfort for more freedom and safety, our advisors guide you, step by step, through securing your devices (incl. for iPhones) or installing GrapheneOS..
3. Download & install
Gart is currently distributed through ZapStore, a Nostr-native app store that requires no account. Google Play distribution is planned for a future release.
download page
Install button
4. First launch and permissions
On first launch, Gart displays a login screen. After you log in, the app guides you through a few permissions required for the app to work properly. Each one directly affects whether alerts fire and arrive reliably. Skipping any of them will compromise the app's core function. The permission screen explains each one before you grant it, and all six can be confirmed from a single screen with Allow all.
Nostr account
Allow All screen
5. Core concepts
Gart uses a Nostr identity to connect you to your circle. If you don't have one, the app creates it in one tap. Everyone in your trusted circle receives a Nostr identity the moment they install the app.
When you first log in, your public identity announces that it's on Gart, so that your contacts can easily find you in Gart.
Chat messages, alerts, and group setup are fully encrypted. But your Nostr profile itself is public, like an email address or an X account, with an avatar, name, and npub visible to anyone.
To separate your alerts and communication from your public user identity, Gart generates a second, operational identity used for most actions inside the app. This is what lets you use a Remote signer for login while keeping day-to-day use frictionless (being asked to approve every individual signature would create hurdles at exactly the wrong moment).
The operational identity handles signing every action automatically in the background. Your main Gart identity can be used in any other Nostr-compatible apps.
Your group memberships and history are bound to your main user identity, not your device. If you lose your phone, simply install Gart on a new one and log in with your user ID or your Remote signer.
Gart keeps two types of backup:
- App data backup. Your group data, memberships, and settings are backed up automatically every day and whenever you log out. You can also trigger it manually at any time from Settings > Backup.
- Key backup. If you created your Gart account directly in the app, you will be prompted to back up your private key from Settings > Backup. This step is important: your key is the only way to recover your identity if you lose access to your device. If you logged in with a Remote signer app, your key is managed by that app and no separate key backup is needed.
Backup page
A group is a private encrypted channel between you and your Watchers. Everything inside a group is visible only to its members.
As a Watcher you can belong to multiple groups simultaneously. As a Group Owner you have one group of trusted people, your family members, closest friends, close protection or security manager, your team.
Every Test Alert locks two things in place: the message and the location, always pointing to a fixed coordinate on Mount Everest.
Watchers receive the notification, hear the alarm sound and see the response screen. Your real coordinates stay private. Run a Test Alert with every one of your Watchers before you rely on the real one.
We don't create centralized honey-pots with user data and have removed ourselves as a central point of failure from the alert delivery.
The group Watchers receive the message shortly and decrypt its contents. The message and the location are the two things your Watchers will act on, preventing panic and focusing on quick response.
Write the alert message before you need to. It should include the key information for Watchers: instructions, key contacts, duress and safe word, or how to verify whether the alerter is alright.
6. Set up your Group
Upon first login, your Group is created automatically.
To find existing Gart users directly in the app:
- Search by username or npub (the Gart identity).
- Scan their profile QR code to pull up their profile and send an invite to them in one step.
For contacts who don't have Gart yet, copy an invitation link in your User Profile and share it via Signal, email, or any channel you use together. The link guides them to Gart installation. Once they're in, you can add them in your Group through the + Add Watcher button.
username / npub
scan & invite
To remove a member from your group, go to the Group management page, tap the Watcher you want to remove, and select Remove. The removed Watcher will no longer receive alerts and will lose access to the group.
Watchers can also leave a group themselves from the same Group management page.
remove member
confirmation
Once you receive a group invitation, tap the notification or open the chat with the inviter and tap Accept or Decline.
- If you Decline, the sender will be notified and the invitation will be removed.
- If you Accept, you will be added as a Watcher to their group.
Accept / Decline
7. Define response - edit alert message
When your trigger alert, your Watchers need specific instructions to able to respond quickly and with calm confidence. An emergency is not the moment to scramble for basic information, or to invent how to approach you, and verify whether you're under duress.
Go to your group detail and edit your Alert message.
- Contact methods. Add ways how your first responder (the Watcher who clicks I'm handling this) should contact you. Provide one or two ways to reach you on the phone.
- Safe and duress words. Add your safe and duress words, or a way how to challenge you to verify duress. The call should not start with "Hey John, I received an alert, are you ok?" We can teach you how to do this without raising suspicion in Gart trainings.
- Important information. Leave any other important information, such as contact to your lawyer or your security officer at your company or your health information and medication needs.
- Emergency services. For urgencies, leave instructions on How to inform the police or rescue services. Your description, basic information like your name, date of birth etc.
- Other requests. What else would you like to add? Let us know by submitting a feature request directly in the app (Shake the phone while Gart is open).
edit message
message
8. Trigger alert
Test Alerts are available from within the group screen. Select the Test Alert option, confirm, and hit & hold the button for about 2 seconds.
Your Watchers receive a notification clearly marked as a test. The location is always Mount Everest, not your real position. Use Test Alerts to verify that every Watcher in your group receives alerts reliably.
Gart broadcasts your current GPS coordinates to the group as a message. Watchers can open your location in their default maps application.
While the alert is active, Gart updates your location every 15 minutes.
To stop the alert, open the app's main screen and hold the button for 2 seconds.
No internet connection? The app will display a warning at the top of the screen but still allow you to hold and trigger the alert. After triggering, it will show a "Network error" message and keep retrying in the background. Restore your connection as soon as possible so the alert reaches your Watchers.
alert blocked
retrying…
Together with the location, Gart broadcasts a default alert message. You can edit this message before sending the alert. Include the most important instructions: whom to contact and what action to take. Once sent, the message cannot be edited.
Alert button
message
broadcasting
broadcasting
9. Respond to alert - the Watcher perspective
When an alert fires, Watchers receive an urgent notification that breaks through the lock screen. It sounds at maximum volume regardless of phone settings, disregarding Do Not Disturb mode.
Inside the group, Watchers see:
- The alert message written by the Group Owner.
- The Group Owner's current GPS coordinates as text.
- An Open in Maps button that launches the coordinates in their device's default maps application.
- An I'm handling this button.
alert notification
Open in Maps
Watchers can tap an I'm handling this button in response to an active alert. This posts a visible acknowledgment inside the group, but doesn't send any device notification to the alerter. Only the Watchers will be able to see in the group chat who is actively involved. This allows a well organized response even if there are multiple Watchers aware of the ongoing emergency
10. Beta testing: Report issues and feedback
Your feedback can shape the product. Report problems, bugs or feature requests directly from the app.
- From anywhere in the app, shake your device the moment you spot an issue.
- A screenshot is captured automatically. If you'd prefer not to include it, remove it from the Report Issue screen before sending or add another screenshot.
- If you'd like a response, include your email address in the report form.
- Add a brief description and tap Send. The report and its technical logs are sent to our support team.
You can also reach the feedback form via Settings > Report an Issue.
auto-screenshot
+ description
For questions and to share your npub with other testers, use our beta testers group.
To join the group you need to sign up to Beta Testing and wait for an invite link.
11. Privacy & data
We are building Gart with one position on data: collect nothing you don't need. There is no account on Gart servers. No registration. No data linked to your identity.
All communication travels device to device via the Nostr network. Every piece of data is encrypted before it leaves your phone. Gart cannot read your messages or access your location. Read full Privacy Policy.
When the app crashes, the app sends a technical report to the team. It contains crash data only, no message content, no location. A separate analytics service records anonymous usage patterns to help us improve the app. We collect no personally identifiable information. Nothing traces back to you.
12. Updates
Gart releases updates at least once a week during the beta, or more frequently when fixes are ready. ZapStore notifies you when a new version is available, please install updates as frequently as possible.
13. Get help
The Signal group is the primary support channel during the beta. To join the group, you need to sign up as a beta tester first. Ask questions or share your Gart identity, so other testers can find you.
For bugs and technical errors, use Shake to Report in the app. It captures the context the team needs automatically. The group chat cannot.
If you prefer direct conversations, you can also reach us via the contact form.