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When Tor is blocked, there are other ways in.

Some networks block Tor. Kryfo can get around that with bridges, and on Automatic it tries them by itself. Lots of people use bridges every day. It's normal, and you don't need to know how they work.

The short version

Leave the connection on Automatic. If Tor is blocked where you are, Kryfo tries other ways in, one after another, and remembers what worked. Your messages stay end to end encrypted whichever way Kryfo connects.

Where to find it

In Kryfo, open Settings, then Connection. The line at the top says how Kryfo is connected right now. Below it are three choices: Automatic, Direct and Bridge from a friend. A few more wait under More.

On a new install, Kryfo asks once before it connects: Connect, or Tor is blocked here. If you pick the second, Automatic never tries plain Tor and starts through a bridge.

What Automatic does

Automatic is where Kryfo starts. It connects to Tor the usual way first. If the network seems to block Tor, Kryfo tries other ways in, one at a time, and keeps the first one that works, such as:

Each way gets a few minutes at most, and the line at the top says what is going on, for example Trying another way… (2 of 3). The whole search can take several minutes, mostly because Snowflake takes a while to start.

Once a way works, Kryfo remembers it for the type of network you're on, such as Wi-Fi or mobile data, and tries it first next time. It keeps this on your phone for 30 days, and never notes which network it was. Where plain Tor was blocked in that time, Automatic goes straight to a bridge.

Direct connects to Tor with no bridge. It's the fastest where Tor isn't blocked, and Kryfo never connects outside Tor. Where Tor is blocked, it doesn't get through.

If you updated from an older version, Kryfo kept your setting. If you weren't using bridges, it suggests Automatic, and you can say not now.

A bridge from a friend

A friend who runs a bridge, or who has one that works, can send you its bridge line: a line of text that starts with obfs4, webtunnel or snowflake. It often comes as a QR code.

In Kryfo, open Settings, Connection, then Bridge from a friend. Paste the line, or tap Scan a code and point the camera at it, then tap Use this bridge. Kryfo connects through it right away. It also reads several lines at once, and the QR codes the Tor Project hands out.

Whoever runs a bridge is your first step into Tor. They can see your address and when you use Tor, not what you send or to whom. So take bridge lines from people you know.

A bridge you pick yourself is the only way Kryfo connects. If it stops working, Kryfo stays offline rather than connect without it, and suggests switching to Automatic.

Sharing a bridge

Kryfo has no button for this: a bridge line is something you pass on yourself, as text or as a QR code. If someone gave you the line, ask them first. Share it with people you trust, since a line that travels far is easier for a network to find and block.

Anyone can run a bridge on a computer that stays online. The Tor Project explains how.

Asking the Tor Project

The Tor Project, the people who make Tor, hands out bridges and knows which kinds work in which countries. Kryfo can ask it, but only once you say yes.

On a new install, the first time Automatic finds Tor blocked, Kryfo asks you once: Tor is blocked on this network, with Get a bridge and Not now. You can change your answer any time under Connection, More, Ask the Tor Project.

Not now is a fine answer. Automatic still tries the bridges that come with Kryfo and Snowflake, and the question doesn't come back on its own.

What the Tor Project sees

When you ask for bridges, the Tor Project sees your address. That's normal: it's how Tor Browser and every Tor app get bridges, and all it tells them is that someone asked for bridges. Nothing about your chats.

The question travels through a content delivery network, so your internet provider sees a connection to that, not to the Tor Project. With your yes, you can also pick your country under More, or let the Tor Project guess it.

Separately, once Tor is connected, Kryfo checks about once a week for changes to the bridges that come with it. That check goes through Tor, so it shows nobody your address, and it needs no yes.

Sign in to this Wi-Fi

Wi-Fi in hotels, airports, cafés and trains often wants you to sign in or accept its terms on a page before anything gets through. Android notices this and tells Kryfo, and the line at the top says Sign in to this Wi-Fi.

Tap Open Wi-Fi settings and sign in from there. Android usually opens the sign-in page when you tap the network. Once you're in, Kryfo connects by itself.

Until then, Kryfo waits. Nothing gets out before you sign in, so it doesn't try bridges there.

When nothing gets through

Sometimes no way gets through right away, and the line at the top says Nothing got through. That's not your fault, and there's more to try:

Meanwhile, the messages you write wait on your phone and go out once Kryfo connects.

Is it a problem to be seen using Tor?

For most people, no. Lots of people use Tor and bridges every day, for all sorts of reasons, and being seen connecting to Tor or to a bridge is normal. Whichever way Kryfo connects, your network can see that you connect to something, not who you talk to or what you say.

In a few places, even trying Tor can draw attention. If that's where you are, tap Tor is blocked here when Kryfo first starts, so it goes straight to a bridge. Already set up? Pick Snowflake under More, or a bridge from a friend, instead of Automatic. The threat model says more about what Kryfo protects against and what it doesn't.

What the line at the top means