Manyverse

Manyverse

Manyverse is a decentralized, open-source social network that lets users communicate off-grid and online and store their data on their phones.

Overview

Manyverse is a decentralized social media application that uses a peer-to-peer technology called Secure Scuttlebutt (SSB) to foster self-hosted data for its users. The platform lets users keep their data on their phones and govern how they share and store it.

The application lets users interact with and comment on other people’s posts, write posts, and use the application offline as if they are online. Moreover, when users return online, Manyverse automatically synchronizes their data with their friends’ data and shares their network's latest updates with them.

The Manyverse team says they are committed to developing an open-source project free from commercial influence, fostering neutrality and fair mobile communication for its users.

Users can download and use the Manyverse application across Linux, Windows, iOS, macOS, and Android. The platform sports all key features of centralized social platforms, allowing users to like, share, post, create profiles, send private messages, and do other social networking activities.

However, unlike centralized social media outlets, Manyverse does not run on the cloud and is not owned by a company. Also, Manyverse does not run a blockchain and does not raise money through initial con offerings or ads. Instead, it relies on free-will donations.

Product details

Manyverse maintains all social media features without giving user data to any centralized entity such as governments and companies. This platform does not keep data centers. Instead, it lets users store their data on their phones. Since Manyverse does not store data in any cloud facilities, it does not track user data and has no cookies.

Manyverse does not run or support ads or paywalls for content users post to the platform. In addition, this decentralized social media platform does not send emails, notifications, or lengthy registration procedures.

Manyverse is funded by public donations and licensed under Mozilla Public License 2.0 and the Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0 license. This open-source project is not a company and has no investors. Although it is decentralized, it does not run on the blockchain, so it has no initial coin offerings and tokens. The app’s authors maintain a public repository on GitLab. André Staltz holds the app’s copyright.

Manyverse uses a peer-to-peer network called Secure Scuttlebutt (SSB), so it does not rely on a typical cloud infrastructure. The peer-to-peer communication protocol that Secure Scuttlebutt provides allows Manyverse users to leverage the mesh network to self-host their content and their peers’.

Manyverse prides itself in not tracking, spying on, or gathering user analytics so users can rest assured that they control their data. However, users can choose to store their data on third-party servers, which might lend themselves to data gathering, analytics, and trading. But Manyverse does not control those choices—it is entirely up to the user to choose where they store their data and how they share that data. 

Manyverse works on all major mobile and desktop operating systems, including Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, Linux. Android users have three download options—Google Play, APK Download, and F-Droid. Apple users can download the DMG file for macOS and AppStore download on iOS. Windows users have the .exe file option, and Linux users can download as tar.gz or deb.

Manyverse also democratizes their connection end-points, so users do not always have to rely on an internet connection. Instead, the application lets users connect using Wi-Fi and internet P2P servers and can connect over Bluetooth. The Bluetooth option helps users stay connected even when they are off-grid.

Manyverse authors built the application to work as a local-first solution. The app saves users’ content on their phones first and only uploads it online for their followers to access when they have an internet connection. But users can also stay off-grid by publishing and sharing their posts over Bluetooth. It ensures that users in low or no-internet areas like in parts of Africa, Latin America, and Asia can access the service without needing an internet connection.

Manyverse maintains multiple communities for different purposes, including its open-source code community on GitLab, the translation community on Crowdin, centralized social media community on Twitter, and decentralized social media community on Mastodon.

Manyverse allows users to send private messages to a maximum of seven persons. The platform limits the number of personal connections to keep private interactions at a small-community level. This limitation also enforces content moderation so that one person does not hurt the larger community.

Manyverse lets users maintain public comments and posts just like centralized social media. Users can post comments for other users who follow them to see in their threads. Those followers can comment and leave their posts.

Manyverse lets users maintain control of who sees their content by allowing them to block and mute users they do not want to interact with or who they do not wish to hear from or read their content. The platform also allows content warnings to self-moderate the community and restrict toxic behavior.

Manyverse lets users create profiles with their biographies and publicly share their stories with their followers. This platform's Profiles with Biographies feature allows users to share authentic stories and foster community connection.

Manyverse lets users share emotions and moments through emoji reactions and pictures. The platform features Emojis and allows users to upload and share images just like usual social media channels.

Manyverse lets users use their Patchwork Feed in their Manyverse installation, but users need to migrate their Patchwork data to Manyverse since Manyverse is not compatible with the ~/.ssb database. Manyverse uses a newer database that is incompatible with the Patchwork SSB database. So when users install Manyverse, they will have to choose whether to create a new account or migrate their Patchwork data to Manyverse. Migrating Patchwork to Mnayverse is irreversible unless a user creates a new Patchwork account.

Recap

Manyverse uses a peer-to-peer technology, Secure Scuttlebutt (SSB), to foster social connections among its users. The technology allows users to host their data on their phones and not on centralized data storage facilities, thereby decentralizing data storage for community members.

This social media platform maintains all the functions of typical, centralized social networks. It allows users to share private chats, public threads, comments, pictures, emojis and maintain privacy controls. Users can connect online using the open internet, offline over Bluetooth, and using public or peer-to-peer servers. Users can access this application on all well-known operating systems, including Apple's iOS and macOS, Microsoft Windows, Android, and Linux.