AN UNDERGROUND
POSTAL SERVICE

What it is

deadletter is a hidden layer on top of the city. Messages pinned to exact places. Only people who are at those places can collect them.

Inspired by W.A.S.T.E., the secret postal service in Pynchon's The Crying of Lot 49.

Leave a message

Open the DROP tab. Write something. Pick a paper stock and a stamp — or don’t, and luck picks the stamp. Hold your phone up and tap a real surface — a bench, table, counter, or even floor. The message is anchored there.

Your drop sits at that exact GPS point. Anyone within 15 meters can find it — if they know to look.

There is no unsend. Once you leave a drop it stays until the lifespan you chose runs out. Say it like you mean it.

Find a message

Open SCAN. If you’re within 15 meters of a drop, hold your phone about an arm’s length from a flat surface — a table, counter, bench, or floor. Tilt the camera slightly so it sees the surface at an angle. Messages appear in AR on that surface. Tap to open.

Smooth, unbroken surfaces work best. If the scanner says “FINDING SURFACE…” for a while, try moving closer or aiming at something less cluttered.

Message drops don't show up from far away. You have to physically go there. That's the point.

Keep what you collect

Tap a message to collect it. Everything you've found lives in the FOUND tab. Re-read any time.

Mail you have read wears a red proof mark — a wordless chop struck over the stamp. A pristine stamp means an unread letter.

Circles

CIRCLES are private groups. Only members see drops made to a circle. Create one, invite friends with a code, and drop messages only they can find.

Direct messages

Type a username as the recipient. The drop is end-to-end encrypted — only that person can decrypt it. They still have to physically go to the location to find it.

A direct drop is a sealed letter — not even we can open it. The keys never leave your phone.

Replies

Tap REPLY on any drop you find. Your next drop is pre-addressed as a direct message to the author — you still write it yourself and drop it at a real place. The author gets a notification.

Conversations happen across geography.

Paper & stamps

Every drop has stationery. Paper stocks pulled from a dead letter office’s drawer — laid cream, newsprint, telegram, ledger, security tint, manila, old foxed paper. Stamps cut in heavy woodcut ink, each carrying one drop of red — skulls, post horns, strays, omens, the city at night.

The default is RANDOM — leave the stamp row alone and every drop you send wears a different stamp.

Night post

After sundown the app runs dark — warm paper, low light, same mail. It flips back at sunrise. There is no toggle; the sun is the toggle.

Block & report

When you open a drop, you’ll see BLOCK and REPORT. Block hides all drops from that author, everywhere. Report flags content for moderation.

Frequently asked

Do I need to sign up?

Not to explore — tap TUNE IN and you can find and read drops anonymously. To leave any drop (open, direct, or circle) you sign in with Google, Apple, or an email link and claim a username. This keeps spam out.

Does it use my data?

GPS, yes — for placing and finding drops. Nothing is sold. Direct drops are end-to-end encrypted; we can't read them. Circle drops are locked to the group. Open drops are postcards — public, unencrypted, readable by anyone who finds them.

What if I'm in a quiet area with no drops?

Be the first. Leave something at a coffee shop, a park bench, your building's stoop. Messages persist. Someone will find it eventually.

Can I see a drop without being there?

You can see it exists on the map. You can't read it until you're within 15 meters and scan.