Category: Mobile

Demod: An iOS/iPadOS Client for rtl_tcp, SpyServer and KiwiSDR

Thank you to Alphonse Romero for submitting news about the release of his new iOS and iPadOS SDR receiver app called Demod. Demod is a network client that connects to remote SDR servers, so it can be tried out immediately with no dongle needed at all. 

The app works as a client for rtl_tcp, SpyServer (Airspy and RTL-SDR), and KiwiSDR, all in a single app. It features a Metal-accelerated waterfall and spectrum display, AM/NFM/WFM/USB/LSB/CW demodulation, and adjustable bandwidth, gain, and squelch. Other features include frequency memories with CSV import and export, AirPlay and Lock Screen controls, and native layouts for both iPhone and iPad. It can also browse and connect to public SpyServers directly from within the app, which is how it can be used with no hardware of your own. The developer notes that it collects no data, with no ads or tracking.

Alphose writes that Demod is a solo project and is available on the US App Store for US$9.99. More information and screenshots can be found on the project website, and the app itself is available on the App Store.

The developer has also provided us with 15 free codes that we will be giving away in one week. To enter the giveaway, simply comment on this post (make sure to include your email address in the comment so that we can send you the code), the X post, or the Facebook post.

Demod iOS SDR App
Demod iOS SDR App

SwR Shortwave Radio: A New Android App for Listening to Public Online Shortwave Receivers

Thank you to RTL-SDR.COM reader Ladislav for submitting information about the release of a new Android app by Alexsxxx called "SwR - Shortwave Radio". This is an Android-only app that lets users easily listen to KiwiSDR and Web-888 receivers. The app appears to be free, with no in-app purchases.

SwR is a client for the worldwide network of public shortwave receivers. Tune in to live shortwave radio from hundreds of volunteer-run receivers around the globe — right from your phone.

Features:
• Connect to any public receiver
• Live spectrum and scrolling waterfall display
• Drag the spectrum to tune; drag the waterfall to pan the band
• Nixie-tube style frequency display with per-digit tuning
• AM, LSB, USB, CW and FM demodulation
• Zoom from the full band down to a narrow window
• World map of receivers — tap one to start listening
• Volume and mute controls

SwR - Shortwave Receiver App
SwR - Shortwave Receiver App

VibeSDR: A Mobile-First iOS and Android Receiver App for Remote SDR Servers and RTL-SDRs

Thank you to Stuart Carr (Stuey3D) for submitting news about his new software release, VibeSDR, a free and open-source mobile SDR client he has developed for iOS and Android. VibeSDR is designed to be touch-first rather than a desktop interface shrunk down to phone size. It is a fully native client for UberSDR, OpenWebRX/OpenWebRX+, and KiwiSDR with its own GPU-rendered waterfall and spectrum. It also supports local RTL-SDR dongles via RTL-TCP on both platforms and over USB on Android with no extra driver install required.

VibeSDR comes with a long list of features. The app has on-device decoders for RTTY, WEFAX, NAVTEX, SSTV, Morse, and FT8/FT4, plus access to server-supplied decoders, Leaflet-based HFDL and digital spot maps, FM stereo with RDS, a local bookmarks engine with daily EiBi schedule downloads, and full background audio. It also has band-aware blind tuning, where using lockscreen, headphone, or in-car media controls to tune across a band boundary automatically switches to the correct demodulator and step rate for that band and ITU region. The app also has Android Auto support with browsable bookmark and band plan lists and steering wheel tuning, and on iOS, it offers Siri voice commands to work around the current lack of full CarPlay approval.

Stuart is upfront and mentions that VibeSDR was AI vibecoded with Claude, hence the "vibe" part of the name. He notes that while he did not write code himself, he designed, extensively tested, and reported bugs over weeks of late nights. The app is not available on any app store at the moment, but he notes that the app will always be free and open source, with full source, APKs and IPAs available on the VibeSDR GitHub Releases page. He also plans to eventually list it on the App Store and Play Store for a fee of around £3 to cover store and development costs.

AI-Disclaimer: This software was vibecoded with Claude.

VibeSDR Screenshots
VibeSDR Screenshots

QuadRF: 4-Element Beamforming SDR Tile Coming to Crowd Supply

Back in January, we posted about open.space and their mission to unlock affordable open source earth-moon-earth (EME) bounce communications for the amateur radio public. Recently, we've seen that the project has been renamed to ScaleRF, with the EME system renamed to MoonRF, and the invisual tile renamed to QuadRF. They've also put out a new update post with a lot of interesting information and demonstrations. In the latest update, they also announced that the QuadRF 4-element tile will soon come to Crowd Supply for crowdfunding.

MoonRF is a software-defined radio-based tiling system that enables users to easily create large phased arrays by combining multiple smaller 'QuadRF' tiles consisting of four tile elements, a custom SDR, and a built-in Raspberry Pi 5. Although the ultimate goal is to produce a large system capable of working EME bounce communications, they show that a single QuadRF tile has considerable utility on its own.

An interesting application they show is the ability to visualize and track RF signals using a single QuadRF and their augmented-reality smartphone app. QuadRF appears to be limited to the C-band (4.9–6.0 GHz), but many modern devices, such as smartphones and drones, operate at these frequencies, and in the video, they are able to track these devices with perfect accuracy.

They also show that QuadRF has built-in web browser access to various programs, including a wireless camera decoder for drones.

Quad RF: A Closer Look

Dump1090 For Android Updated to V2

Thank you to Christian from ebcTech for writing in and sharing with us that their Dump1090 app for Android has recently been completely redesigned. We first posted about this app back in 2021. The developer notes that the V2 redesign is faster and has an improved UI.

The app allowes users to use an RTL-SDR dongle connected to an Android device to receive ADS-B signals from aircraft and plot their locations on a map. When selecting an aircraft, the app also shows the aircraft's live flight data and a picture of the aircraft.

Screenshots of the new UI
Screenshots of the new UI
RTL-SDR ADS-B Dump1090 Android

Spectrum SDR Android App Ported to iOS

Thank you to James Mainwaring of Knowle Consultants for submitting news about the release of an iOS port of his previously Android-only "Spectrum SDR" app for RTL-SDR. Knowle Consultants have previously released a range of RTL-SDR Android apps for FM, Airband, Ham FM and ADS-B reception. James writes:

As most people will be aware, it is not currently possible to connect an RTL-SDR dongle directly to an Apple mobile device. So the app is designed to be used with an instance of rtl_tcp running on a Mac, PC or maybe a raspberry pi.

It is also possible to install the app directly on an Apple Silicon Mac, so that is one with an M1, M2, ... etc. In that situation obviously rtl_tcp can be hosted on the same Mac too if needed.

Anyone needing help with this app or any of our existing Android SDR apps should contact [email protected]
 
For comparison, the Android version is available here:
 
Spectrum SDR iOS App Released

SDR ProTrack RTL-SDR Radio Direction Finding Android App Updated

Back in June 2025, we posted about SDR ProTrack, a radio direction-finding app that uses an RTL-SDR and directional antenna to determine a bearing towards a transmitter. Alex has recently written in to note some major updates to the app.

He notes that the app has been redesigned for user-friendliness and to be as relevant as possible for signal-tracking purposes. The main upgrades include:

  • New hardware compatibility: SDR Lime Mini & Airspy now supported.
  • Enhanced signal & pulse detection
  • New track states, UI and in-app guidance
  • Now available in 14 languages
  • Hunt sharing on social media with pictures and map included
The Updated SDR ProTrack App Interface
The Updated SDR ProTrack App Interface

RTL-SDR 433: A New Android App for Decoding 433 MHz Sensors with rtl_433

Thank you to Christian Ebner from ebcTech, who has submitted news about his newly released Android app RTL-SDR 433, which lets you run the rtl_433 decoder directly on your phone using an RTL-SDR dongle connected via a USB OTG cable.

The app bundles rtl_433 as a native Android library and supports all 258 device protocols out of the box, including weather stations, TPMS, wireless doorbells, PIR motion sensors, energy meters, door/window contacts, and remote sockets. Decoding runs entirely on-device with no internet connection required, no root, and no special drivers. It uses the standard Android USB Host API together with a libusb Android port.

The UI is built with Jetpack Compose and Material 3, and shows a live list of unique sensors with expandable cards (temperature, pressure, RSSI, raw JSON) plus a full history log. The app is free to try with a decreasing per-session reading limit, and a one-time purchase for a few dollars removes the limit permanently.

We note that the GPL-licensed native layer (rtl_433, rtl-sdr, libusb Android port and EBC's integration glue) is published openly at github.com/ebc81/rtlsdr433-native-gpl in compliance with GPL-2.0, while the UI layer remains closed-source. 

More information about the app is available on the ebcTech page at https://ebctech.eu/rtl-sdr-433-android.

RTL SDR 433 for Android