Convos iOS

Convos is an everyday private chat app for the surveillance age. Built on the open-source, censorship-resistant, post-quantum secure XMTP protocol, Convos provides instant, impermanent, and self-evidently private conversations.

What is Convos?

Convos is a privacy-first messenger that offers:

• No signup — Simply scan, tap or airdrop into a conversation
• No numbers — New identity in every conversation
• No history — Time bomb your groupchats with irreversible countdowns
• No spam — Every conversation is invitation-only
• No tracking — Zero data collection, not even contact info
• No server — Messages stored on your device, secured by XMTP

Learn more at convos.org.

Project Setup

Prerequisites

• macOS with Xcode 16+
• Ruby 3.3.3
• Homebrew

Quick Start

# Run the setup script
./Scripts/setup.sh

The setup script will:

• Install Git hooks for code quality checks
• Configure Xcode defaults for consistent development
• Install required dependencies:
  • SwiftLint (code linting)
  • SwiftFormat (code formatting)
  • swift-protobuf (Protocol Buffer support)
  • GitHub CLI (for release automation)
  • Bundler and Ruby gems

Manual Setup

If you prefer to set up components individually:

# Install SwiftLint
brew install swiftlint

# Install SwiftFormat
brew install swiftformat

# Install swift-protobuf
brew install swift-protobuf

# Install GitHub CLI (optional, for releases)
brew install gh

# Install Ruby dependencies
bundle install

Configuration

The setup script configures Xcode with:

• Automatic trailing whitespace trimming
• 120-character page guide
• Build operation duration display
• Disabled plugin fingerprint validation for development

Project Structure

convos-ios/
├── Convos/              # Main iOS application
├── ConvosCore/          # Shared business logic Swift Package
├── NotificationService/ # Push notification extension
└── Scripts/             # Build and development scripts

ConvosCore Package

ConvosCore is a Swift Package containing all shared business logic, including:

• XMTP client management and messaging
• Database management with GRDB
• Authentication and identity management
• Conversation and message handling
• Push notification support

See ConvosCore documentation below for details.

Development

Building

Open Convos.xcodeproj in Xcode and build normally. The project uses Swift Package Manager for dependencies.

Testing

Run tests in Xcode or via command line:

xcodebuild test -project Convos.xcodeproj -scheme Convos

Code Quality

Pre-commit hooks automatically run:

• SwiftLint for code style
• SwiftFormat for formatting

ConvosCore Documentation

ConvosCore is the core Swift Package containing shared logic between the main app and notification extension. See individual component documentation in the source files for details.