"Tox" is a messenger for Linux, Android, Windows, OS X and FreeBSD that does not require registration and does not have a center.

Introduction

This article is about the qTox messenger, although there are other applications that are compatible with Tox.
qTox is based on the Tox transfer protocol, which secures data transfer between two clients (1 to 1 mode) and does not use servers for storage.

Installation

For Linux OS there is uTox - it is an "alpha" version and is not functional. Instead, qTox, which is included in the distribution Debian/Ubuntu/Linux Mint/LXLE.

sudo apt update
sudo apt remove utox
sudo apt install qtox

The second installation method is to download the package from the GitHub home page and install it (for Windows or Linux Arch/Debian/Fedora/Gentoo/OpenSUSE/Ubuntu).

• download https://github.com/qTox/qTox/releases/download/

The third and fourth methods are using a file Flatpak - qTox-nightly.flatpak or AppImage - qTox-nightly.x86_64.AppImage.

There are several applications for Android OS, one of which is called "Tox messenger". There is also a DMG file for OS X on the GitHub page, versions for Linux x86.

Operating principle

The "qTox" application is intended for communication within a family or a small group of people.
Each Tox client has a unique ID - this is a string consisting of 76 characters of capital letters and numbers.
When installing the program, a unique ID is generated. To establish contact, you need to exchange them.
For the "user profile" you need to set a password. For the Tox client to appear online, you need to launch the messenger and enter a password.
The profile is located in the ~./config/tox folder and it is possible to change the password and export the profile.

Contacts are added in three ways

• by entering the ID in the "Add contact" field
• in response to a request to add a friend.
• by scanning the QR code of a friend’s profile (in Android messenger).

History of the Tox messenger

• https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tox
• https://ru.linux-terminal.com/?p=5728

Features at a Glance

1) message transmission
2) voice and video transmission
3) file transfer
4) status display (online / away / offline)
5) avatars
6) translation of application menus and windows into more than 30 languages.
7) storage of correspondence history
8) the ability to clear correspondence and delete all messages
10) disappearing messages (off, 30 seconds, 1 minute, 5 minutes, 1 hour, 24 hours, 7 days).

Main window of the qTox program

The main window of the qTox program for Linux consists of 2 parts:

• on the left side is the profile name and list of users,
• on the right side correspondence and call statuses.

When you click on the profile icon, you will be taken to editing your profile.

When you click on a contact's name, a window opens for editing and sending a message.

In qTox (or "Tox messenger") the ability to make calls over the Internet:

It is possible to transfer files two-way:

You can specify your own usernames, including using Unicode icons instead of names.
Files can be transferred from a mobile device and back. You can also try making a video call.

To work, the program needs to start when the computer boots.

Program documentation

• https://wiki.tox.chat/start
• https://github.com/TokTok/qTox/blob/master/doc/user_manual_en.md

Comparison of Tox with other applications

The following applications are compatible with the Tox protocol.

Similar applications, but not compatible with Tox:

• Chattti(Android OS, Windows, macOS, iOS)
• Dialog(Linux)

Security

You can appear online only after entering the password you created when creating your profile. If you forget your password, you will not be able to use qTox.

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