FAQ

🆓 Install Olvid for free

Olvid works without a phone number or any personal data and is freely available for your macOS, Windows and Linux computers, as well as iPhones, iPads and Android smartphones and tablets.

Download and install Olvid

Here’s where to download Olvid to install it on your compatible devices.

iPhone iPad


Download on the App Store

Latest version: 3.4 - 2024-12-06.

History of changes and updates (changelog). RSS.

Requires iOS 15.5 or later on iPhone or iPod touch.

Requires iPadOS 15.5 or later on iPad.

List of compatible devices.

Android


Get it on Google Play Store

Latest version: v3.4.1 (build 258) - 2024-12-03.

History of changes and updates (changelog). RSS.

Requires Android 5 or later on smartphones and tablets.

List of compatible devices.

Mac


Download on the Mac App Store

Latest version: 3.4 - 2024-12-06.

History of changes and updates (changelog). RSS.

Requires macOS Monterey 12.4 or later.

List of compatible devices.

Windows
  • Terminate all Olvid processes before launching an update, by Ctrl+Shift+Esc > Olvid > Right clic > End Task.
  1. Download and install Olvid v2.3.0.msi.
SHA-256: cce3c3685af25272c10ea6fddfa9a03d14a0beff8f2787df72dd227ff9ab27b4

Latest version: 2.3.0 - 2024-12-03.

History of changes and updates (changelog). RSS.

Requires Windows 10 64-bit or later.

List of compatible devices.

Silent installation of Olvid for Windows.

Linux
  1. Download and install Olvid v2.3.0.tar.gz (archive for x86).
SHA-256 : 333583a85f267ebb48466cf8128c5e7a4de7c15d12dd3a1b64dc481b3d5240cf

Latest version: 2.3.0 - 2024-12-03.

History of changes and updates (changelog). RSS.

Requires x86 architecture.

Installation

The instructions below assume that you have sudo privileges to execute commands as root, allowing you to install Olvid in the /opt directory. However, you can choose to install Olvid in any location you prefer, and you’ll simply need to adjust these instructions accordingly.

Regardless of the installation location, your user data, including databases and files, will be stored in $HOME/.local/share/olvid/ (if the $XDG_DATA_HOME environment variable is defined, it will be respected).

Feel free to adapt these steps as needed, depending on your preferred installation directory.

  1. Run the following commands: 
    # Extract the archive
sudo tar xzf olvid-2.3.0.tar.gz -C /opt/
# Add olvid to the PATH
sudo ln -sf /opt/olvid/bin/olvid /usr/bin/olvid
# Configure xdg to automatically open Olvid with certain URLs
xdg-desktop-menu install /opt/olvid/share/olvid-olvid.desktop
update-desktop-database $HOME/.local/share/applications/

What’s next?

Once Olvid is installed, create your first Olvid profile if you have never used Olvid. Otherwise, import a profile from another device or restore a backup of your profiles.

Update Olvid

Upgrading to the latest version of Olvid allows you to benefit from the latest features and bug fixes and to maintain optimum compatibility with the maximum number of devices and users, as well as with your profiles backup.

Here’s how to make sure you’re using the latest version of Olvid on a compatible device.

iPhone iPad


The latest version of Olvid for iOS and iPadOS is 3.4 - 2024-12-06 and the complete history of changes and updates (changelog) is available here. RSS.

Find out which Olvid version you’re using

  1. Open Olvid and touch (top right) > All settings > About.

    Your Olvid App version is displayed.

Update Olvid

  1. Open App Store and search Olvid.

    appears if Olvid is up-to-date.

  2. Otherwise touch .

Android


The latest version of Olvid for Android is v3.4.1 (build 258) - 2024-12-03 and the complete history of changes and updates (changelog) is available here. RSS.

Find out which Olvid version you’re using

  1. Open Olvid and tap (top right) > Troubleshooting.

    Your Olvid App version is displayed at the bottom.

Update Olvid

  1. OpenGoogle Play Store and search Olvid.

    will appear if Olvid is up to date.

  2. Otherwise tap .

If the latest version of Olvid doesn’t appear

If the latest announced version of Olvid doesn’t yet appear in your Store, here’s what to do.

  1. On the Android Home screen, find the  Google Play Store app icon and press it for a second until a menu appears under the icon.
  2. Press App info.
    The App info screen appears.
  3. Press Storage.
    The Storage - Google Play Store screen appears.
  4. Press Clear Data (bottom).
    A dialog is displayed.
  5. Press Clear Cache.
    A confirmation dialog is displayed.
  6. Press OK.
  7. Go back to the Android Home screen and open  Google Play Store.
    Google Play Store opens.
  8. Search for Olvid.
    The possibility of an update should finally appear.
  9. Tap .

Availability on F-Droid and other alternative stores

For F-Droid, we discuss about it here on Olvid’s public GitHub since we opened the source codes for Olvid’s iOS and Android mobile apps to make them available and open source.

For the moment, Olvid’s only official distribution channels are the Google and Apple stores, as this has no influence on Olvid’s security and privacy guarantees. And we’re now also releasing a downloadable APK on our site here.

We advise against installing any Olvid APKs circulating on the net (Aurora Store, Aptoide, APKcombo, APKPure and others app stores for Android) because we cannot certify the authenticity or integrity of an app distributed in this way. No alternative distribution is as secure as our official channels.

However, for your information, we test all our versions for compatibility with alternative Android operating systems without Google services.

Mac


The latest version of Olvid for macOS is 3.4 - 2024-12-06 and the complete history of changes and updates (changelog) is available here. RSS.

Find out which Olvid version you’re using

  1. Open Olvid and click (top left) > All settings > About.

    The Olvid version you are using is displayed.

Update Olvid

  1. Open App Store and search Olvid.

    appears if Olvid is up-to-date.

  2. Otherwise tap .

Windows


The latest version of Olvid for Windows is 2.3.0 and the complete history of changes and updates (changelog) is available here. RSS.

Find out which Olvid version you’re using

  1. Open Olvid and click (bottom left).

    The Olvid version you are using is displayed.

Update Olvid

  1. Stop all Olvid running processes before launching the update, by Ctrl+Shift+Esc > Olvid > Right clic > End Task.

  2. Download and install Olvid v2.3.0.msi.

SHA-256: cce3c3685af25272c10ea6fddfa9a03d14a0beff8f2787df72dd227ff9ab27b4
Linux


The latest version of Olvid for Linux is 2.3.0 and the complete history of changes and updates (changelog) is available here. RSS.

Find out which Olvid version you’re using

  1. Open Olvid and click (bottom left).

    The Olvid version you are using is displayed.

Update Olvid

If you installed Olvid from the tar.gz archive, you simply need to replace the previous installation. We assume you have the possibility to run commands as root using sudo and that Olvid was installed in /opt.

  1. Stop all Olvid running processes before launching the update,

  2. Run the following commands:

    # Remove the previous install
sudo rm -rf /opt/olvid/
# Extract the new archive
sudo tar xzf olvid-2.3.0.tar.gz -C /opt/

Turn on automatic updates

Turning on automatic updates provides you with the latest Olvid version and upcoming features as soon as available.

iPhone iPad
  1. Go to  Settings >  App Store.
  2. Turn ON or OFF the App Updates option.

Apple Support: How to manually update apps on your Apple device.

Android
  1. OpenGoogle Play Store.
  2. Tap your profile icon (top right) >  Settings > General > Auto-update apps.
  3. Select the desired option.

Google Play Store Support: Update your Android apps.

Mac

  1. Open App Store.app Application.

  2. From the menu bar at the top of the screen, choose App Store > Settings or App Store > Preferences.

  3. Select or deselect Automatic Updates.

Apple Support: How to turn on or turn off automatic updates on your Mac.

Receive automatic notification of Olvid updates by RSS

Receive automatic notification of Olvid updates, fixes and new features directly in your web browser or news reader by RSS.

Click here to subscribe to Olvid’s RSS update feed: https://olvid.io/rss/en.xml.

You can find more about RSS here.

Update your operating system

We invite you to update your operating system for your safety and to take advantage of Olvid’s latest and greatest improvements. Otherwise, some features may not be available on your device. Here is how:

iPhone iPad


Please consult Apple Support: Update your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

Android


Please consult Android Help: Check & update your Android version.

Mac


Please consult the list of compatible devices and Apple Support: Update macOS on Mac.

Windows


Please consult the list of compatible devices and Microsoft Support: Get the latest updates automatically as soon as they’re available.

Manage the space used by Olvid

You can manage the space used by Olvid and your content.

Compatible devices

Install Olvid for free on these compatible devices, with or without a SIM card or 4G, as Olvid works without a phone number or any personal data. All you need is an Internet connection.

iPhone iPad


Requires iOS 15.5 or later on iPhone and iPod touch.
iPhone models compatible with iOS 15.5.
iPhone models compatible with iOS 16.
iPhone models compatible with iOS 17.

Requires iPadOS 15.5 or later on iPad.
iPad models compatible with iPadOS 15.5.
iPad models compatible with iPadOS 16.
iPad models compatible with iPadOS 17.

iOS 13 and iPadOS and above

All devices with iOS 14 or iOS 13 or iPadOS are compatible with iOS 15 or iPadOS 15.

iOS 16 and iPadOS 16 are compatible with these devices.

iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 are compatible with these devices.

iOS 14 and iPadOS are compatible with these devices.

iOS 13 and iPadOS are compatible with these devices.

Incompatible: iOS 12 and earlier

Compatibility, updates, guaranteed fixes and support have ended since January 2022. In January 2021, it was announced that Olvid enhancements would be developed for iOS 13 or iPadOS 13 (September 2019) and later versions. Compatibility with iOS 12 (September 2018) and iOS 11 (September 2017) has been maintained as much as possible.

iOS 12 is compatible with these devices.

iOS 11 is compatible with these devices.

Devices limited to iOS 12 (September 2018)

iPhone 6 / 6 Plus, iPod touch (6th generation), iPad mini (3rd and 2nd generations), iPad Air (1st generation).

Devices limited to iOS 10 (September 2016)

iPhone 5, iPhone 5c, iPad 4.

iOS 10 is compatible with these devices.

iOS version history

iOS 16, iPadOS 16 (September 2022)

iOS 15, iPadOS 15 (September 2021)

iOS 14, iPadOS (September 2020)

iOS 13, iPadOS (September 2019)

iOS 12 (September 2018)

iOS 11 (September 2017)

iOS 10 (September 2016)

iOS 9 (September 2015)

iOS 8 (September 2014)

iOS 7 (September 2013)

iOS 6 (September 2012)

iOS 5 (October 2011)

iOS 4 (September 2010)

iOS 3 (September 2009)

iOS 2 (September 2008)

iOS 1 (March 2008)

Getting help from Apple

For some issues specific to your iPhone or iPad, Apple or your mobile carrier can help you with your devices.

Don’t hesitate to get help from Apple or your mobile carrier.

Android

Android 5 or later on smartphones and tablets

Android 14 (API 34) - (October 2023)

Android 13 (API 33) - (August 2022)

Android 12 (API 31, 32) - (October 2021)

Android 11 (API 30) - (September 2020)

Android 10 (API 29) - Revision 5 (July 2020)

Android 9 Pie (API 28) - Revision 1 (August 2018)

Android 8.1 (API 27) - Revision 1 (December 2017)

Android 8.0 Oreo (API 26) - Revision 2 (August 2017)

Android 7.1 (API 25) - Revision 3 (December 2016) - Revision 2 (November 2016) - Revision 1 (October 2016)

Android 7.0 Nougat (API 24) - Revision 1 (August 2016)

Android 6.0 Marshmallow (API 23) - Revision 2 (November 2015) - Revision 1 (August 2015)

Android 5.1 (API 22) - Revision 1 (March 2015)

Android 5.0 Lollipop (API 21) - Revision 2 (December 2014) - Revision 1 (October 2014)

Other Android without Google services

Although we cannot guarantee full compatibility and support for all alternative Android operating systems, we also do test all our versions for Android without Google services. And we have positive feedback from users in these cases, such as Lineage or /e/OS with its native store. Everything seems to work fine, according to them.

You could install then uninstall the open-source bare minimum to get Google Play Store App, like Open GApps Pico Package. And a license acquired this way should also work after.

Other Android flavors

Each smartphone manufacturer creates and installs its own custom version of Android, configured as it sees fit, as well as softwares from publishers with whom it has signed an agreement. The System Settings of these Android versions may prevent Olvid from working properly and will then benefit from adjusted settings if a device does not receive message or call notifications.

Get help from your device manufacturer

Your device manufacturer or mobile carrier should provide help for some phone issues related to their modifications of Android and its specifics.

To get help with your phone or tablet, find your manufacturer or carrier here.

Mac


Requires macOS Monterey 12.4 or later.
macOS 12 Monterey is compatible with these computers.
macOS 13 Ventura is compatible with these computers.
macOS 14 Sonoma is compatible with these computers.

Windows


Requires Windows 10 64-bit or later.
Computer Specifications & Systems Requirements for Windows 10.

Linux


Requires any version of Linux with x86 processor architecture.

  • ARM is not supported.

The Olvid application for Linux is packaged to embed its own JVM and does not rely on any system dependencies. It should therefore run without any specific dependencies.

Troubleshooting

Find out what to do:

If Olvid doesn’t work before you contact Olvid Support.