Android/app/build.gradle.kts

@@ -11,8 +11,8 @@ android {
         applicationId = "com.archipelago.app"
         minSdk = 26
         targetSdk = 35
-        versionCode = 27
+        versionCode = 28
-        versionName = "0.5.7"
+        versionName = "0.5.8"
 
         vectorDrawables {
             useSupportLibrary = true

Android/app/src/main/AndroidManifest.xml

@@ -23,6 +23,18 @@
         android:usesCleartextTraffic="true"
         tools:targetApi="35">
 
+        <!-- Party-screen "Share this app": exposes the copied APK from
+             cache/share/ to the system share sheet, nothing else. -->
+        <provider
+            android:name="androidx.core.content.FileProvider"
+            android:authorities="${applicationId}.fileprovider"
+            android:exported="false"
+            android:grantUriPermissions="true">
+            <meta-data
+                android:name="android.support.FILE_PROVIDER_PATHS"
+                android:resource="@xml/file_paths" />
+        </provider>
+
         <activity
             android:name=".MainActivity"
             android:exported="true"

Android/app/src/main/java/com/archipelago/app/ui/navigation/NavGraph.kt

@@ -126,6 +126,9 @@ fun AppNavHost(
     ) {
         composable(Routes.INTRO) {
             IntroScreen(
+                onMeshParty = {
+                    navController.navigate(Routes.MESH_PARTY)
+                },
                 onContinue = {
                     scope.launch {
                         prefs.markIntroSeen()

Android/app/src/main/java/com/archipelago/app/ui/screens/IntroScreen.kt

@@ -55,7 +55,12 @@ import com.archipelago.app.ui.theme.TextPrimary
 import kotlinx.coroutines.delay
 
 @Composable
-fun IntroScreen(onContinue: () -> Unit) {
+fun IntroScreen(
+    onContinue: () -> Unit,
+    // Mesh Party works with no node at all (phone↔phone) — offered right on
+    // the first screen so a friend who just got the app can join a party.
+    onMeshParty: () -> Unit = {},
+) {
     val logoAlpha = remember { Animatable(0f) }
     var showContent by remember { mutableStateOf(false) }
 
@@ -143,6 +148,14 @@ fun IntroScreen(onContinue: () -> Unit) {
                         onClick = onContinue,
                         modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth().height(56.dp),
                     )
+
+                    Spacer(modifier = Modifier.height(12.dp))
+
+                    GlassButton(
+                        text = stringResource(R.string.mesh_party),
+                        onClick = onMeshParty,
+                        modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth().height(48.dp),
+                    )
                 }
             }
         }

Android/app/src/main/java/com/archipelago/app/ui/screens/PartyScreen.kt

@@ -281,6 +281,16 @@ fun PartyScreen(
                 )
             }
             Spacer(Modifier.height(12.dp))
+            // Hand the app itself to a friend: shares this install's own APK
+            // through the system sheet (Quick Share/Bluetooth), so a nearby
+            // phone gets the companion with zero internet — the whole party
+            // premise.
+            GlassButton(
+                text = "Share this app",
+                onClick = { shareCompanionApk(context) },
+                modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth().height(48.dp),
+            )
+            Spacer(Modifier.height(12.dp))
         }
 
         // Party QR scanner overlay
@@ -364,3 +374,28 @@ private fun renderQr(payload: String, size: Int = 640): Bitmap? = try {
 } catch (_: Exception) {
     null
 }
+
+/** Share this install's own APK via the system share sheet — a nearby friend
+ *  gets the companion with no internet at all (Quick Share / Bluetooth). */
+private fun shareCompanionApk(context: android.content.Context) {
+    try {
+        val src = java.io.File(context.applicationInfo.sourceDir)
+        val dir = java.io.File(context.cacheDir, "share").apply { mkdirs() }
+        val out = java.io.File(dir, "archipelago-companion.apk")
+        src.copyTo(out, overwrite = true)
+        val uri = androidx.core.content.FileProvider.getUriForFile(
+            context, "${context.packageName}.fileprovider", out,
+        )
+        val send = android.content.Intent(android.content.Intent.ACTION_SEND).apply {
+            type = "application/vnd.android.package-archive"
+            putExtra(android.content.Intent.EXTRA_STREAM, uri)
+            addFlags(android.content.Intent.FLAG_GRANT_READ_URI_PERMISSION)
+        }
+        context.startActivity(
+            android.content.Intent.createChooser(send, "Share Archipelago Companion")
+                .addFlags(android.content.Intent.FLAG_ACTIVITY_NEW_TASK),
+        )
+    } catch (_: Exception) {
+        // No share targets / copy failed — nothing sensible to do here.
+    }
+}

Android/app/src/main/java/com/archipelago/app/ui/screens/WebViewScreen.kt

@@ -123,6 +123,23 @@ private fun isSameHost(url: String, base: String): Boolean {
     }
 }
 
+/** Kiosk WebView retained across navigation (remote ⇄ dashboard) so leaving
+ *  the kiosk and coming back reattaches the LIVE page — no reload, no
+ *  re-login, no reconnect. Dropped on retry/disconnect/server change. */
+private object KioskWebView {
+    var instance: WebView? = null
+    var url: String? = null
+
+    fun drop() {
+        instance?.let {
+            (it.parent as? ViewGroup)?.removeView(it)
+            it.destroy()
+        }
+        instance = null
+        url = null
+    }
+}
+
 /** True when a TCP listener answers at [base]'s host:port within [timeoutMs]. */
 private fun tcpAnswers(base: String, timeoutMs: Int): Boolean = try {
     val u = android.net.Uri.parse(base)
@@ -213,6 +230,13 @@ fun WebViewScreen(
     var startUrl by remember(serverUrl) { mutableStateOf<String?>(null) }
     var raceNonce by remember { mutableIntStateOf(0) }
     LaunchedEffect(serverUrl, meshFallbackUrl, raceNonce) {
+        // A retained live session exists — reattach instantly: no race, no
+        // reload, no re-login (remote ⇄ dashboard round trip).
+        if (KioskWebView.instance != null && KioskWebView.url == serverUrl) {
+            isLoading = false
+            startUrl = serverUrl
+            return@LaunchedEffect
+        }
         val picked = pickStartUrl(serverUrl, meshFallbackUrl)
         // Starting on the mesh: don't bounce back to it on error (it IS it).
         if (picked != serverUrl) triedMeshFallback = true
@@ -328,7 +352,10 @@ fun WebViewScreen(
                     text = stringResource(R.string.retry),
                     onClick = {
                         // Re-race LAN vs mesh — the network we're on may have
-                        // changed since the last pick.
+                        // changed since the last pick. Drop the retained view:
+                        // an errored session must genuinely reload.
+                        KioskWebView.drop()
+                        webView = null
                         hasError = false
                         isLoading = true
                         triedMeshFallback = false
@@ -342,7 +369,10 @@ fun WebViewScreen(
 
                 GlassButton(
                     text = stringResource(R.string.disconnect),
-                    onClick = onDisconnect,
+                    onClick = {
+                        KioskWebView.drop()
+                        onDisconnect()
+                    },
                     modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth().height(48.dp),
                 )
             }
@@ -359,7 +389,15 @@ fun WebViewScreen(
             AndroidView(
                 modifier = Modifier.fillMaxSize(),
                 factory = { context ->
-                    WebView(context).apply {
+                    // Reattach the retained kiosk WebView (remote ⇄ dashboard
+                    // must not reload the node UI). Everything configured
+                    // below is idempotent, and re-running it rebinds clients,
+                    // bridges and listeners to THIS composition's state —
+                    // stale closures from the previous visit are replaced.
+                    if (KioskWebView.url != serverUrl) KioskWebView.drop()
+                    val reused = KioskWebView.instance
+                    (reused ?: WebView(context)).apply {
+                        (parent as? ViewGroup)?.removeView(this)
                         layoutParams = ViewGroup.LayoutParams(
                             ViewGroup.LayoutParams.MATCH_PARENT,
                             ViewGroup.LayoutParams.MATCH_PARENT,
@@ -665,7 +703,11 @@ fun WebViewScreen(
                         }
 
                         webView = this
-                        loadUrl(initialUrl)
+                        if (reused == null) {
+                            KioskWebView.instance = this
+                            KioskWebView.url = serverUrl
+                            loadUrl(initialUrl)
+                        }
                     }
                 },
             )

Android/app/src/main/res/values/strings.xml

@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
     <string name="welcome_title">Your Sovereign\nPersonal Server</string>
     <string name="welcome_subtitle">Bitcoin node, app platform, and private cloud — all in one box you control.</string>
     <string name="get_started">Get Started</string>
+    <string name="mesh_party">Mesh Party</string>
     <string name="use_https">Use HTTPS</string>
     <string name="port_label">Port (optional)</string>
     <string name="saved_servers">Saved Servers</string>

Android/app/src/main/res/xml/file_paths.xml

@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?>
+<!-- FileProvider scope for the party-screen "Share this app" APK handoff. -->
+<paths>
+    <cache-path name="share" path="share/" />
+</paths>