Create an Open Source WhatsApp clone app using Mesibo

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

Welcome to this multi-part series where we will guide you through the design and implementation of a commercially deployable messaging app similar to WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal. This comprehensive series will cover real-time messaging, voice and video calls, conferencing, and by the end, you will have fully functional Android and iOS applications ready to be published on Google Play Store and Apple App Store under your own brand name. Additionally, We’ll even explore the creation of a web-based messenger.

Although we’ve chosen WhatsApp as a use case for this series, the technology and techniques we will discuss are applicable to any domain that requires real-time communication. Whether you’re interested in telemedicine, customer support, social apps, or other fields, you can easily adapt the concepts we will cover to suit your specific needs. You’ll have the flexibility to download and modify source, implement different login mechanisms once you master the basics.

Are you ready to embark on this journey? Let’s dive in! Throughout our discussion, we’ll refer to our app as “Messenger”

Messenger Features

Let’s take a quick look at some of the key features of the apps we’re about to build. Both of these open-source apps offer fully functional real-time messaging, voice and video calling capabilities. Here are some of the highlights:

  • One-on-one messaging and Group chat
  • High-quality voice and video calling and conferencing
  • Rich messaging (text, picture, video, audio, other files)
  • End-to-End Encryption (E2EE) - mesibo provides the world’s strongest E2EE implementation.
  • Location sharing
  • Message status and typing indicators
  • Online status (presence) and real-time profile update
  • Push notifications

You’ll be amazed at how easily and quickly you can develop your own Android and iOS app with all these impressive features. But if you can’t wait, you can also try them from Google Play Store OR Apple AppStore

Prebuilt Messenger Apps

If you prefer to try pre-built messenger apps instead of building them from scratch, you can download them from the following sources:



 

Note: Please note that we do not send OTP for app login. Instead, you’ll need to log in to your mesibo account and click on the Demo Apps menu to generate OTPs yourself.

Alright, let’s get started!

Prerequisites

Before we dive into building and running a fully featured Messenger for Android, iOS, and web, make sure you’ve gone through the following resources:

It’s important that you’re already familiar with the mesibo API and have created basic apps using the mesibo API. If you haven’t, please take the time to read the “Get started guide” mentioned above and try building a basic app before proceeding with this tutorial.

Also, please note that you must run this code on a real device. Therefore, it’s essential to have access to an Android or iPhone device to run the app.

Introduction

This tutorial is divided into multiple parts to ensure a seamless learning experience. Instead of making you wait until the end to build both apps, we’ll first build the apps quickly and then delve into the details.

Here’s an overview of what each part will cover:

  • Part 1: We’ll learn about the features and key components of both apps.
  • Parts 2 to 4: We’ll download the source code for Android, iOS, and web apps, and build and run them.
  • Part 5: We’ll explore the customization options for both apps.
  • Parts 6 and 7: We’ll learn how to host the entire platform on your own premises.

Finally, we’ll discuss how you can contribute to the project and request support if you need any assistance.

Key App Components & Third Party Libraries

These apps use the following Mesibo SDKs.

  • Mesibo Core SDK
  • Mesibo Messaging UI Module
  • Mesibo Call UI Module

These apps also use the following third-party libraries/services for Android App.

Conclusion

In this part, we have learned a brief about Messenger app features and key components.

In part 2, we will start building the Android app.

On to Part 2 >>

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