The most common situation: you still have a goTenna Mesh device, switched to a new phone, and can't find the app to install. Nelos is the modern app most people in this situation should switch to - here's what happened, and why.
goTenna discontinued its consumer product line, and the companion app for goTenna Mesh is no longer maintained as an active product. As of this writing, goTenna's developer account on the App Store lists only the goTenna Pro apps; the consumer app no longer appears there. The situation on Google Play may differ - check directly.
If the app still runs on your current phone, you can keep using it. The problem is when you have to reinstall - and that's the moment to switch to Nelos instead: a modern app that connects your phone to a small compatible radio, with group chat, direct messages, offline maps, device trackers and a Need Help button. You can start using it for free, on iPhone and Android.
goTenna Mesh is a radio with no screen. Everything you interact with - typing messages, viewing the map, adding contacts, checking device status - lives in the phone app. The radio and the app are a pair; without the app, the radio does almost nothing useful.
This is different from some communication devices that have their own keyboard and screen. With goTenna Mesh, "is the app still usable" almost means the same thing as "is the device still usable."
As of this writing, goTenna's developer page on the App Store shows only the apps in the Pro line (goTenna Pro and goTenna Pro+). The goTenna Mesh app aimed at consumers is no longer listed there.
On iOS, if an app is removed from the App Store, someone who previously downloaded it can sometimes still re-download it from their purchase history for a while, but this isn't guaranteed and can change. For an app that's no longer updated, each new iOS version also raises the chance of a compatibility problem.
This guide doesn't make a firm claim about the current status on Google Play, because the information can change and vary by region. The most reliable check is to open Google Play on your own phone and search for the goTenna app.
On Android, an already-installed app can keep running even when it's no longer in the store, but you won't get updates, and reinstalling on a new phone depends on whether the app is still available.
This is the most common reason goTenna Mesh users realize there's a problem. The set is still in a drawer, but the phone has changed twice since it was last used, and the app isn't where it was.
If you still have the old phone with the app installed, you can use that device alone as the "controller" for goTenna Mesh. This is a stopgap, not a long-term fix: the old phone's battery degrades, and one day that phone fails too.
If you no longer have the old phone, and you can't install the app on the new one, then in practice the goTenna Mesh set is hard to use as before. See Does goTenna Mesh Still Work in 2026? to weigh keeping it versus switching.
On forums, people occasionally share an old APK of the goTenna app. Don't go this route. An install file from an unofficial source may have been modified, and you have no way to be sure. For an app that handles your private messages and location, that risk isn't worth it to recover a device that's already unsupported.
If what you value is having a phone app that's still being developed, connecting to a small radio for off-grid messaging and location, Nelos covers it: connect the phone to a compatible radio over Bluetooth, available on both iPhone and Android. The guide Best goTenna Mesh Alternatives in 2026 walks through the options, and Switching from goTenna Mesh to Modern LoRa Mesh explains the transition.
As of this writing, goTenna's developer account on the App Store lists only the goTenna Pro apps; the consumer app no longer appears there. The situation on Google Play may differ. Check your own app store directly.
If it's installed and still opens, you can keep using it. The risk appears when you delete the app, do a major OS update, or switch to a new phone - at which point you may not be able to reinstall it.
No. An install file from an unofficial source may be modified and is a security risk, especially for an app that handles your messages and location. If you need a maintained app, move to a modern LoRa mesh system.
Nelos is an independent product, not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by goTenna. Names mentioned belong to their respective owners.
Nelos brings group messaging, location sharing, and a shared group map with location updates to LoRa mesh — with no cell service, no server, and no account.
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