Samtalsvän is a very simple video calling tool for elderly people.

No apps. No login. No complexity.

Start a call → share a link or QR code → talk instantly.

I wanted to give something back to the country that welcomed me. Sweden has a growing elderly population, and many seniors feel isolated – especially when technology becomes a barrier. Existing video tools often require accounts, downloads, or confusing steps.

Samtalsvän (Swedish for "Conversation Friend") is my small contribution: a tool that turns a video call into a one-click experience. A family member or volunteer creates a call, prints a QR code, and the elderly person simply scans it – that's it. No login, no password, no frustration.

If this tool helps even one person connect with a loved one, it was worth building.

1. Create a contact card for your elderly relative
2. Print it out and give it to them
3. Keep your browser open

1. Scan the QR code with their phone camera
2. That's it – the video call starts immediately

No apps to install. No accounts to create. No passwords to remember.

Just a printed card and a phone camera.

1. Open the app in your browser
2. Click "Starta videosamtal" (Start video call)
3. Share the link or QR code with the other person
4. They scan/click and the call begins!

1. Click "Skapa kontaktkort" (Create contact card)
2. Enter a name (optional)
3. Click "Skapa kontaktkort" to generate
4. Print the card and give it to your elderly relative
5. Keep your browser open on the "Wait for calls" page
6. When they scan the QR code, you'll receive an incoming call!

1. Click "Mina kontakter" (My contacts) on the start screen
2. View all saved contact cards
3. Print any contact card again
4. Delete contacts you no longer need

• Mute/Unmute: Click the microphone icon
• Camera on/off: Click the camera icon
• Switch camera: Click the switch icon (mobile only)
• Fullscreen: Click the fullscreen icon
• Chat: Click the chat icon to open the chat panel

• 🔓 No login required – Just start a call and share the link
• 📱 QR code sharing – Easy sharing for mobile users
• 📤 Share button – Share call link via Web Share API
• 💬 SMS sharing – Send call link via SMS
• 👴 Elderly-initiated calls – Create contact cards for seniors to call you
• 🎴 Printable contact cards – Large, clear print with high contrast
• 📋 Multiple contacts – Manage and save multiple contact cards
• 🎨 Swedish design – Yellow and blue color scheme for accessibility
• 📞 Ringtone – Audio notification for incoming calls
• 🔒 Privacy-focused – No data collection, all video peer-to-peer

• 🎤 Mute/Unmute – Toggle microphone on/off
• 📷 Camera on/off – Toggle camera with black screen when off
• 🔄 Camera switch – Switch between front/back cameras (mobile)
• ⏱️ Call timer – Shows elapsed call time
• 📶 Network indicator – Shows connection quality (Excellent/Good/Weak)
• 🔊 Speaker toggle – Switch between earpiece and speaker
• 🖥️ Fullscreen mode – Expand video to full screen

• 💬 Text chat – Send text messages during calls
• 📸 Photo sharing – Share photos during calls (up to 5MB)
• 🎙️ Voice messages – Record and send voice messages (up to 1 minute)
• 📅 Call scheduling – Schedule future calls with contacts

• 🔄 Auto-reconnect – Automatically reconnects if connection drops
• 📋 Contact management – View, print, and delete saved contacts
• ⏰ Date/Time widget – Displays current time and date (Swedish & English)
• 💾 Local storage – Contacts and schedules saved in browser

• 🔓 Ingen inloggning krävs – Starta bara ett samtal och dela länken
• 📱 QR-kodsdelning – Enkel delning för mobilanvändare
• 📤 Dela-knapp – Dela samtalslänk via Web Share API
• 💬 SMS-delning – Skicka samtalslänk via SMS
• 👴 Äldre kan ringa – Skapa kontaktkort för äldre att ringa dig
• 🎴 Utskrivbara kontaktkort – Stor, tydlig print med hög kontrast
• 📋 Flera kontakter – Hantera och spara flera kontaktkort
• 🎨 Svensk design – Gul och blå färgschema för tillgänglighet
• 📞 Ringsignal – Ljudnotis vid inkommande samtal
• 🔒 Integritetsfokus – Ingen datainsamling, all video peer-to-peer

• Node.js 18+
• npm or yarn

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/AbdirahmanNomad/samtalsvan.git
cd samtalsvan

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Copy environment variables (optional for development)
cp .env.example .env

# Start the server
npm start

The app will be available at http://localhost:3000

For production, you need TURN servers for calls to work behind firewalls/NAT:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                        Frontend                             │
│  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐        │
│  │  index.html │  │   call.js   │  │  style.css  │        │
│  └─────────────┘  └─────────────┘  └─────────────┘        │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                          │
                          │ Socket.io
                          ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                        Backend                              │
│  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐  ┌─────────────┐        │
│  │  server.js  │  │  Socket.io  │  │   QRCode    │        │
│  └─────────────┘  └─────────────┘  └─────────────┘        │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
                          │
                          │ WebRTC
                          ▼
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                      Peer-to-Peer                           │
│              Direct video/audio between browsers            │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

samtalsvan/
├── server.js              # Express + Socket.io server
├── config.js              # Configuration module
├── package.json           # Dependencies
├── Dockerfile             # Docker configuration
├── docker-compose.yml     # Docker Compose (development)
├── docker-compose.prod.yml # Docker Compose (production with Caddy)
├── .env.example           # Environment variables template
├── README.md              # This file
├── CONTRIBUTING.md        # Contribution guidelines
├── PRIVACY.md             # Privacy policy
├── LICENSE                # MIT License
├── deploy/                # Deployment configs
│   ├── Caddyfile          # Caddy reverse proxy config
│   └── nginx.conf         # Nginx reverse proxy config
├── scripts/               # Utility scripts
│   ├── backup.sh          # Database backup script
│   └── restore.sh         # Database restore script
├── .github/               # GitHub Actions
│   └── workflows/
│       └── ci.yml         # CI/CD pipeline
└── public/
    ├── index.html         # Main HTML
    ├── call.js            # WebRTC logic
    ├── style.css          # Styles
    ├── adapter.js         # WebRTC adapter (local)
    ├── favicon.ico        # App icon
    └── fonts/             # Sweden Sans fonts

1. HTTPS - Required for WebRTC camera/mic access
2. TURN Server - Required for NAT traversal (calls behind firewalls)
3. Domain name - For SSL certificate

# Clone and configure
git clone https://github.com/AbdirahmanNomad/samtalsvan.git
cd samtalsvan

# Create .env file
cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env with your settings:
# - BASE_URL=https://your-domain.com
# - DOMAIN=your-domain.com
# - OPENRELAY_API_KEY=your-key (get free at metered.ca/openrelay)

# Start production stack
docker-compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml up -d

# Install PM2
npm install -g pm2

# Start server
pm2 start server.js --name samtalsvan

# Setup nginx reverse proxy with Let's Encrypt
sudo apt install nginx certbot python3-certbot-nginx
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/samtalsvan
# Configure reverse proxy to localhost:3000

# Get SSL certificate
sudo certbot --nginx -d your-domain.com

• Joi schemas for all user inputs
• XSS protection with output escaping
• Rate limiting on all endpoints

• Token-based authorization for contact deletion
• Socket.io room isolation

• Content Security Policy (CSP)
• HTTP Strict Transport Security (HSTS)
• X-Content-Type-Options: nosniff
• X-Frame-Options: DENY

• 10 requests/minute for call creation
• 20 requests/minute for contact operations
• 5 requests/minute for GDPR endpoints

• GET /api/user/data - Export all user data
• DELETE /api/user/data - Delete all user data

We welcome contributions! See CONTRIBUTING.md for details.

MIT – free to use, modify, and share. See LICENSE.

We don't collect any personal data. Video calls are peer-to-peer and never touch our servers. See PRIVACY.md for details.

Abdirahman Ahmed 📧 hello@abdirahman.net

Built with ❤️ for Sweden, and for every generation that deserves to stay connected.

Byggt med ❤️ för Sverige, och för varje generation som förtjän att hålla kontakten.