Internet Relay Chat (IRC) has been around for ages, and while interest has steadily declined in recent years, it still appeals to many users who use these networks to communicate with other users.
If you’re looking for a solid IRC mobile app for your Android device, you’ve come to the right place. For chatting on the go, you can’t go wrong by using any of the five apps listed below.
1. IRC Cloud
IRC Cloud is a nice-looking client for Android that provides an easy way to access and stay connected to your IRC channels without much hassle. It’s an especially great option if you have a spotty Internet connection because it keeps your IRC connection running even if you lose signal for a bit. Your entire chat history is synced to the cloud so you can catch up later.
Key Features
- Upload and share files from your device
- Get push notifications for direct messages and mentions
- Supports Android Wear, Pebble, Android Auto and Sony LiveView
- Can be customised to a great extent
Price: Free
2. YAAIC
YAAIC (Yet Another Android IRC Client) is a very lightweight IRC client with less than 1MB install size, and it’s open source too. It has everything you would expect from a regular IRC client such as multi-channel support, colour coding, nick completion and more. The only downside that could exist for some users is that it uses a dark-only theme and does not provide an option to switch to a light one.
Key Features
- Supports multiple servers
- SASL support
- Multiple commands
- Scrollback history
- Graphical similies
Price: Free
3. Hermes Material IRC
Hermes Material IRC is an open-source creation of the Numix Project that was built on top of YAAIC. It follows material design guidelines, and includes several features to set it apart from the other apps on this list. Hermes can be used for free, but it supports ads which can be removed by using the “Remove ads” in-app purchase.
Key Features
- Connect to as many servers and rooms as you want
- Emoji support
- Auto-join rooms
- SSL encryption
- Material design
Price: Free
4. AndChat
AndChat is one of the most popular IRC clients with over half a million downloads on Google Play. It has been optimised for both smartphones and tablets and provides a comprehensive support for several protocols. Despite the fact that it hasn’t been updated for over two years, it seems to work well enough to be well worth your attention.
Key Features
- Supports Encryption
- SASL andd SSL support
- Multi-charset support
- UTF_8 detection
- Ignore list
Price: Free
5. Holo IRC
Holo IRC aims to be simple to use and light on your phone’s resources. It is built to conform to the Holo design guidelines of the Android Jellybean and Kitkat days which makes the app look really nice and clean. As it’s open source, it gets updates regularly and is completely free with no ads or in-app purchases.
Key Features
- Supports connecting to regular servers as well as bouncers
- Supports theme switching (light and dark)
- Quick nick completion by tapping on user button
- Works well on phones and tablets
- Common configurations can be tweaked via the settings such as appearance, logging and notifications
Price: Free
Which Android IRC client do you like best? Are there any other excellent IRC apps that we missed? Don’t forget to share your experiences and suggestions in the comments below.
Ayo Isaiah is a freelance writer from Lagos who loves everything technology with a particular interest in open-source software. Follow him on Twitter.
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