Install Chatto on Your Phone

Chatto’s progressive web app (PWA) brings the full Chatto experience to your phone: rooms, threads, direct messages, file attachments, search, and voice and video calls.

Install it from your browser to open Chatto from your Home Screen in its own app window. There is no app store download, and you use the same Chatto features as in your browser.

You choose how to use your servers: install a separate PWA from each server’s address to keep a separate app icon for each community, or connect to multiple servers from a single PWA and switch between them in one app.

Push notifications let you receive alerts even when Chatto is not open. Enable them after installation to keep up with your conversations. App badges also show unread activity where your browser and operating system support them. See Enable Notifications below to get started.

Before You Start

Open the Chatto address that you normally use, such as https://chat.example.com. Ask your community administrator for the address if you do not know it. Use the Chatto app page, not this documentation site.

Use an HTTPS address and an up-to-date browser. If a link opens inside another app, copy the address and open it in Safari, Chrome, or Firefox.

iOS: Safari

Open Safari and go to your Chatto address.
Tap Share (the square with an upward arrow). Depending on your Safari layout, first open the page menu to find Share.
Scroll through the actions and tap Add to Home Screen.
Keep Open as Web App on if Safari shows this option. Change the app name if necessary, then tap Add.
Tap the new icon on your Home Screen to open Chatto. Sign in if asked.

If Add to Home Screen is missing, scroll to Edit Actions in the Share menu and add it. See Apple’s Safari instructions for more help.

For more reliable voice and video calls, open Chatto in a normal Safari tab instead of the Home Screen app. In Safari, you can navigate away from the call while audio continues. This does not work reliably in the installed PWA.

In the PWA, keep Chatto open and your screen unlocked for the most reliable call audio. Switching apps or locking your phone can interrupt call audio. New participants can be silent while the app is in the background; see LiveKit issue #1751. Audio can also fail to resume when you return, as reported in WebKit issue #263627 and PWA issue #291892. These reports cover specific iOS versions; results can differ on your phone.

Related Apple/WebKit reports cover silent WebRTC call audio (#239996), Web Audio silence after closing another audio tab (#276687), and background audio suspension (#237878 and #261554, both marked fixed).

If audio stops, return to Chatto and select Enable call audio if shown. If needed, leave the call and join again, or close and reopen the PWA. Keep iOS up to date.

An official Chatto app for iOS is in development.

Android: Chrome

Open Chrome and go to your Chatto address.
Open the three-dot menu beside the address bar.
Select Install and create shortcut, then Install. Depending on your Chrome version, the menu may instead show Add to Home screen or Install app.
Confirm the installation when prompted.
Open Chatto from its app icon. Sign in if asked.

See Google’s web app instructions for more help.

Android: Firefox

Open Firefox and go to your Chatto address.
Open the three-dot menu.
Tap Install to open the Add to Home Screen panel.
Tap Add automatically, or drag the icon to a location on your Home Screen.
Tap the new icon to open Chatto. Sign in if asked.

See Mozilla’s web app instructions for more help.

Enable Notifications

Open the installed app. In your server’s notification settings, select Push notifications on this device, then allow notifications when prompted. Use Send test notification to check delivery.

For notification settings and server requirements, see Notifications & Web Push.