MarekWo
28d74476e7
Replaces the debug APK with a release build signed with the project key (CN=Marek Wojtaszek, valid to 2081, v1+v2 schemes, not debuggable), so every later version installs over this one instead of forcing a reinstall. Docs catch up with what the app can now do: QR scanning works on https instances, downloads land in the phone's Downloads folder, and the address form is a non-destructive screen you can reach deliberately. New SHA-256, size, permission list and the signing fingerprint to verify against. Also silences the Kotlin warning for the deprecated shouldOverrideUrlLoading overload kept for Android 5.x - source-only, the APK is unaffected. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
7.9 KiB
mc-webui for Android
A small companion app that opens your own mc-webui instance full screen — no address bar, no browser tabs, its own icon in the app drawer. It looks and works like a native app, because underneath it is the same web interface you already use in the browser.
The app contains no mesh logic of its own: it asks once for the address of your mc-webui server and displays it. Everything still runs on your server and your MeshCore device.
The app is not distributed through Google Play — you download the .apk
file from this repository and install it yourself. That is a normal and
supported way to install Android apps, but Android will warn you a few times
along the way. The steps below cover those warnings.
What you need
- Android 5.0 (Lollipop) or newer
- A running mc-webui instance the phone can reach — either on the same local
network (e.g.
http://192.168.1.100:5000) or published over the internet through a reverse proxy (e.g.https://mc-webui.example.com)
Step 1: Download the app
| File | android/mc-webui-wrapper.apk |
| Direct link | https://github.com/MarekWo/mc-webui/raw/main/android/mc-webui-wrapper.apk |
| Size | 4.6 MB |
| App version | 1.0 |
| Package | it.wojtaszek.mc.wrapper |
| SHA-256 | eaeccbb2016f67517adb2940375604b327ba049fe69ae5682f8f0881de888f08 |
Download it directly on the phone, or copy it over from a computer.
Optional — verify the file. Only worth doing if you got the file from somewhere other than this repository:
# Linux / macOS
sha256sum mc-webui-wrapper.apk
# Windows (PowerShell)
Get-FileHash mc-webui-wrapper.apk -Algorithm SHA256
The result must match the SHA-256 above.
Step 2: Allow installation from unknown sources
Android only installs apps from Google Play unless you allow the app that is doing the installing — usually your browser or the Files app — to install others. You grant that permission once, and it applies to that app only.
The easy way — just start the installation (Step 3). When Android says "For your security, your phone is not allowed to install unknown apps from this source", tap Settings, turn on Allow from this source, and press back. The installation continues.
Up front, if you prefer — Settings → Apps → Special app access → Install unknown apps → pick the browser or file manager you will use → Allow from this source. The exact wording varies by manufacturer (Samsung, Xiaomi, and others each name it slightly differently).
Step 3: Install
- Open the downloaded
mc-webui-wrapper.apk— from the browser's download notification, or from Files → Downloads - Tap Install
- Play Protect may show "Unsafe app blocked" or "App scan recommended". This is Google's standard notice for apps that did not come from the Play Store — it is not a detection of anything in the app. Choose More details → Install anyway (or Don't send / Install if it offers to upload the file for scanning)
- Tap Open, or launch mc-webui from the app drawer
To remove it later: long-press the icon → Uninstall, like any other app.
Step 4: Connect to your instance
On the first run the app asks for the address of your server:
Type the full address, including the protocol and — for a local instance — the port:
| Your setup | What to enter |
|---|---|
| mc-webui on the local network | http://192.168.1.100:5000 |
| Behind a reverse proxy with a certificate | https://mc-webui.example.com |
| On a non-standard port behind a proxy | https://mc-webui.example.com:8443 |
Then tap SAVE & CONNECT.
Type
http://explicitly for local instances. If you leave the protocol out, the app assumeshttps://and the connection to a plain local server will fail.
The address is remembered, so every later launch goes straight into mc-webui.
Changing the address later
Press Back on the first mc-webui page and the app asks what you want: Change server brings up the address form, Exit closes the app, Cancel stays where you were. (Deeper inside the interface, Back simply goes back a page, as in a browser.)
The address form also appears on its own when the app cannot reach the server — wrong address, server down, phone off the network. Either way the form opens pre-filled with the address you are using, and nothing is overwritten until you tap SAVE & CONNECT: a dropped connection never costs you the address.
What works, and what doesn't
Everything you do in mc-webui itself works as in the browser: channels, direct messages, contacts, the console, My Repeaters, the Path Analyzer, maps, settings, themes. Links to other sites — a URL in a message, the packet analyzer — open in your normal browser, so the app stays on your instance.
Two things depend on how your instance is reachable, and one is not available at all:
| Feature | In the app |
|---|---|
| Notifications for new messages | Not available. The app has no access to the browser's notification system. If you want notifications, also install mc-webui as a PWA in Chrome (how) — the app and the PWA can live side by side |
| Scanning a QR code (Add Contact → Scan QR) | Works on https:// instances. Android asks for camera permission the first time. Over plain http:// the camera stays blocked — that is a browser rule, not an app limitation, and Chrome on the same phone behaves identically. Use Paste URI or Manual entry there |
| Downloading files (e.g. database backups) | Works. Files land in the phone's Downloads folder, with the usual download notification |
| HTTPS with a self-signed certificate | Refused, with an "SSL error" message. Use a valid certificate (e.g. Let's Encrypt), or plain http:// on the local network |
Security notes
- Install the
.apkonly from this repository (or from the project's GitHub Releases page). An.apkfrom anywhere else is a different app, no matter what it is called - The app stores exactly one thing on the phone: the server address you typed. No messages, keys, or contacts — those stay on your server and your MeshCore device
- Plain
http://is allowed so that local instances work without a certificate. On a home network that is fine; over the internet, put mc-webui behind a reverse proxy with HTTPS and some form of access control — the app adds no authentication of its own - Permissions: internet access; the camera, only when you use QR scanning and only after you allow it; and file storage on Android 9 and older, only for saving a download. Nothing else — no contacts, no location, no background services
- Every release is signed with the same key (certificate SHA-256
42:58:57:b3:60:0c:1b:89:2f:8d:3b:2a:5c:46:8b:fe:17:c0:d2:1f:6c:12:24:33:a4:e1:1b:51:be:9b:d2:30), which is also why updates install straight over the previous version
How it is built
A minimal Android WebView wrapper: one screen for the server address, one full-screen WebView for mc-webui itself, and a saved preference between them. No analytics, no third-party services, no background activity — when the app is closed, nothing of it runs.
The complete source is in android/src/, and
android/README.md describes how to build it yourself
if you would rather not trust a prebuilt .apk.
See also
- User Guide — everything the interface itself can do
- PWA Notifications — the browser-based alternative, with notification support
- Troubleshooting — when the server itself misbehaves