Home internet addresses change, for example overnight or after a router restart. If your address and a friend's address both change while you're apart, your apps no longer know where to find each other.
A Vide is a helper that solves this. Both apps leave an anonymous sign with the Vide. When the Vide gets the same sign from both, it tells each app where the other one is, and the apps connect directly again.
Friends you both have can do the same. This is called Find friends through others.
What a Vide can and can't see
- It can't listen in. Calls and chats go straight to your friend, encrypted. A Vide never carries them.
- It knows no names. It sees only an anonymous sign that changes every hour, and your IP address.
- It forgets in minutes. It stores nothing, and your app only asks it while a friend can't be reached.
Kinds of Vides
| Kind | Who runs it | How to use it |
|---|---|---|
| Public Vide | Gehlvora | A switch in the app, see Set up Vides |
| Your group's Vide | Someone in your group | Add its Vide code, see Set up Vides |
A group's Vide works like a self-hosted game server: your group trusts whoever runs it, and Gehlvora isn't involved.
Do I need one?
No. Without a Vide, you can still reconnect by hand, see Friend stays offline. A fixed internet address on one side also avoids the problem.