LineFerry

How it works

From your SIM to your iPhone in three hops.

Your carrier delivers calls and texts to the SIM as usual. The gateway relays them to your iPhone over the network the two phones share.

The architecture

Wake-up path When the iPhone app is closed, the gateway sends an Apple VoIP push so the call still rings.

Connection modes

What works on each kind of connection.

Pick how your phones are connected to see exactly what works today.

  • WorksIncoming calls, app open
  • WorksIncoming calls, app closedWoken by an Apple VoIP push.
  • WorksOutgoing calls
  • WorksTexts in and out

Step by step

Incoming call

  1. A call reaches your SIM in the gateway. The caller hears normal ringing.
  2. The gateway tells your iPhone, and sends an Apple VoIP push if LineFerry is closed.
  3. Your iPhone rings on the CallKit call screen.
  4. You answer; the gateway answers the real call and carries the audio both ways.

Outgoing call

  1. Dial from the Keypad, Contacts or Calls tab, or from iPhone Recents.
  2. The gateway places the call from your SIM.
  3. The person you call sees your number.

Text messages

  1. An SMS arrives on your SIM.
  2. The gateway forwards it to the iPhone, with a notification.
  3. Your reply is sent by the gateway, from your number.

Built to keep running

Supervisor

Restarts the relay within seconds after a crash, starts it on boot, and backs off if something keeps failing.

Fallback ringing

With no iPhone reachable for about a minute while off Wi-Fi, calls ring on the gateway itself; it switches back when an iPhone returns.

Fast reconnects

Pushes carry the gateway's network addresses, so the iPhone finds it again quickly after you change networks.

Technical specifications

Gateway
Rooted Android phone with the LineFerry Magisk module and gateway app. Certified: Samsung Galaxy S10+.
Client
LineFerry for iPhone, iOS 17 or later
Call interface
Apple CallKit
Wake-up
Apple Push Notification service: VoIP pushes over HTTP/2
Transport
Local network today (same Wi-Fi or the gateway's hotspot); internet relay in development
Messaging
SMS send and receive
Resilience
Supervised relay, automatic restart, local fallback ringing
Multi-device
One gateway ringing several iPhones: in testing
Encryption
Calls, texts and control messages encrypted between the gateway and paired iPhones (ChaCha20-Poly1305)