Communication21 July 2026 · 13 min read

How to choose a messenger and start talking in Solovo

Solovo Team

A good messenger fits into life unnoticed: messages arrive, the people you need stay reachable, and you do not have to look for a separate service to make a call or send a file. So do not choose by the length of a feature list. Start with people, everyday tasks and a short test in a real conversation.

Solovo suits private and group conversations with family, friends, colleagues and clients. You can write, exchange voice and round video messages, send photos, videos and documents, create groups and make calls. Try all of it in one living chat, then decide which conversations are worth moving.

Start with your own task

A messenger has to suit everyone in a particular conversation. Family cares about a clear sign-in, notifications and video calls. Friends want groups, reactions, photos and voice messages. A small team needs files, group calls and screen sharing.

Before installing anything, check a few things:

Whether the app exists for the phones and computers your contacts use.
Whether everyone understands how to sign up and find each other.
Whether the service supports the format you need: private chat, group, call or file sharing.
Whether the data handling rules and the available protection settings suit you.
Whether the organisation needs separate features: single sign-on, centralised management, archiving or specific integrations.

Availability matters more than a rare feature. If one person cannot install the app or sign in from their usual device, the conversation will have to be duplicated. Before inviting a group, check the mobile platforms, the web version, the sign-up method and notifications for the very people the chat is created for.

Then walk the whole ordinary path: signing in, finding a contact, the first message, an attachment and a call. Do not judge the interface by the home screen alone. A messenger can look simple yet demand extra steps at the moment you need to send a document or join a conversation quickly.

Separately, weigh the service against the risk of the conversation. Family plans and photos with friends need clear access settings and app protection on the device. Work data may require retention rules, account management and a mandatory archive. It is better to write those requirements down before the test, so convenience does not overshadow company policy.

You do not have to choose one app for every contact. Telegram, WhatsApp, Signal and other services can stay where familiar conversations already live or where you need specific features. Move one clear task into Solovo and judge it without an abrupt break from your other ways of staying in touch.

Try one conversation

The best test starts not with exploring menus but with a real conversation. Choose someone you talk to regularly: a relative, a friend, a colleague or a client. Agree to hold your next conversation in Solovo and not to duplicate every remark in another app.

First exchange text messages and check notifications. Then record a voice message, send a photo or a document and make a short call. If every action is clear without long explanations, create a group and invite the others.

A test like that shows the main thing: whether people want to come back to the chat. If your contacts keep the conversation going by themselves, Solovo is already solving a real problem. If you have to keep reminding everyone where to write, find out why before moving other conversations.

For the people close to you

Family

Create a shared chat for news, photos, weekend plans and household arrangements. When typing is awkward, send a voice message. When you want to see each other, start a video call straight from the chat.

Shared task lists help with household matters. They can hold purchases, trip preparation or chores, and you can tick items off together. A private conversation stays the place for one-to-one talk.

Start with the relative it is easiest to explain a trial to. Exchange messages, make a call and see whether reading text, opening attachments and replying feels comfortable. After that, invite the others with a link into a group you have already set up.

Friends

A separate group keeps a trip, a celebration or a shared project from getting mixed up with dozens of other conversations. Give the chat a short name, bring in the right people and start with a specific question. Everyone will immediately understand why Solovo was opened.

In a conversation you can reply with a quote, add reactions, forward material and edit your own text messages. Voice and round video messages help share news or a mood quickly when a full call is not needed. Static and animated stickers round out ordinary replies.

An invite link can be revoked and reissued. That helps if the old link reached the wrong people or the group's membership changed. Before sending personal photos, check the member list anyway.

For a small team

Solovo covers a small team's everyday communication: work chats, quick questions, passing documents around, voice and video calls. You can discuss a task in a group, answer a specific message and move straight to a call. A short meeting does not require setting up a separate venue in advance.

Screen sharing helps when you need to look at a document, a presentation, a setting or a service page together. Before sharing, close personal notifications and unnecessary windows. After the call, the call history helps you spot a missed conversation and get back to the people involved.

Solovo also suits talking to clients if the task comes down to messaging, file sharing and calls. Create a separate conversation for a specific request, keep agreements in the messages and send materials in the same chat. Store important documents in the system meant for that as well: a messenger helps pass a file along but does not replace a backup or corporate repository.

Everything you need in the chat

Private and group chats support text, voice messages and round video messages. Text is convenient for addresses and arrangements, voice helps you answer on the move, and a short video conveys a mood or shows a place without a call. Quoted replies keep the context once a conversation has grown long.

You can send photos, videos, music and documents into a chat. Before moving a work or family conversation, test the exact file type you use most often. Open it on everyone's devices and make sure nobody needs a workaround.

Reactions and stickers let you answer without another one-word remark. Your text messages can be corrected, and material you need forwarded to other chats. A dark theme helps those who often write in the evening.

When a call is needed

An audio or video call starts from a private or group chat. During the conversation you can switch cameras, see the active speaker and share your screen. Someone can also join a group call that has already started.

Connection quality depends on the app, the device and the network at the same time. Test a call where you usually talk: at home, in the office or on the move. Pay attention to connecting, speech clarity, video stability and getting back into the conversation after a brief network drop.

If you only need to talk something through quickly and look at a screen together, Solovo is enough for a short call. For a large conference with complex roles, recording, transcripts or special participant management, check every requirement in advance. Do not move an important meeting until a trial call has confirmed the scenario you need.

Protection on the device

On supported devices Solovo can be locked with a passcode, Face ID, Touch ID or a fingerprint. Manual locking and automatic locking after the app has been in the background are both available. Turn protection on if other people sometimes use your phone.

Data is encrypted in transit. The sign-in confirmation code belongs to your account alone: do not forward it or read it out to anyone, even if they claim to be support. Install the mobile app from the App Store or Google Play, open the main site at solovo.app and the web version at app.solovo.ru/.

Before any sensitive or regulated conversation, read the privacy policy and the data safety section for your platform. Check permissions for contacts, the microphone, the camera, photos and files. Grant access when you are about to use the corresponding feature.

What to know in advance

Signing up requires a phone number and a confirmation code. If an account with no phone number attached is a hard requirement for you, Solovo will not meet it. Discuss the sign-in method before inviting a large group.

The mobile app is free, with no ads and no paid subscriptions. That does not remove the cost of internet access under your operator's terms. Everyone needs a stable connection to make a call or send a file.

Splitting shared expenses, smart shopping lists, mini-games and secret chats are marked on the site as features in development. Do not choose Solovo for those until they appear in your version. Judge by what you can already test: chats, messages, attachments, reactions, groups and calls.

For a formal corporate environment, compare your requirements for single sign-on, administration, archiving, integrations and data retention against the product's current capabilities separately. Until that check is complete, do not move regulated or sensitive work conversations. For an ordinary small group, start with a non-critical task and judge convenience in practice.

How to sign up

Open solovo.app and pick the version that suits you. For a phone, install the app from the App Store or Google Play. On a computer, open the web version at app.solovo.ru and check the address before entering anything.

Enter your phone number and the confirmation code. Do not pass the code to anyone. Once signed in, check your name, profile photo, notifications and protection settings.

Permissions can be granted as you need them. The microphone is for voice messages and calls, the camera for video, access to photos and files for attachments. Contacts help you find people you know who already use Solovo.

Invite the people you talk to

For a first conversation, find the person in your contacts and send a message. For a group, think of a clear name, add a description and send everyone an invite link. People open it and land in the right chat after signing in.

Do not send the invitation to everyone you know at once. One successful conversation tells you more than a large empty group. Once the first members are comfortable with the chat, add the next circle.

If a link should no longer work, revoke it in the group settings and create a new one. Managing the link helps control who gets in, but check the member list before an important send anyway.

A few days of testing

Choose a conversation that will definitely continue over the next few days: family plans, preparing a gathering, calls with parents or a small work question. Agree to run that topic in Solovo. Then work through the whole path in order:

Sign in with your phone number and set up your profile.
Find a contact or open a group invitation.
Exchange text, a voice message, a photo and a document.
Make an audio and a video call, sharing your screen if needed.
Set up notifications and the app lock.
See whether people come back to the chat without reminders.

If the conversation continues without workarounds, give Solovo a permanent role: a family group, plans with friends, conversations with a client or a small team's calls. Keep the older messengers for the contacts and tasks that still live there. A move should make communication simpler, not become a duty of its own.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need to delete other messengers?

No. Move one useful conversation into Solovo and keep the familiar apps for your other contacts. A start like that does not disrupt existing communication and quickly shows whether the new chat suits you.

Is Solovo suitable for a family?

Yes, if the family needs a shared chat, photos, voice messages and video calls. Start with one person close to you, then create a group and invite the others with a link. Shared task lists help gather purchases, trips and household chores in one place.

Can Solovo be used for work?

Yes, if messaging, groups, files, calls and screen sharing are enough for a small team. For a corporate system with mandatory administration, archiving and integrations, check every requirement first. Move sensitive data only after such a check.

Is Solovo free?

The mobile app is free, with no ads and no paid subscriptions. You pay for internet access under your operator's plan. Always check the current terms on the app page for your platform.

Where do I open Solovo?

The product's main site is solovo.app/. The web version runs at app.solovo.ru/. The mobile apps are available in the App Store and Google Play.

What should I check after signing in?

Send an ordinary message, a voice message, a photo and a document, then make a short call. Check notifications, the connection and attachment opening for both of you. If everything is clear, create a permanent group.

Start small

Choose someone you write to or call often and move one conversation into Solovo. Sign up, send an attachment, make a call and keep the conversation alive for a few days. If people come back on their own, widen the circle.