🇺🇸 RadioMail 1.6 - The "Freedom HF modem" Release

July 14, 2026

I’m happy to announce that RadioMail 1.6 is now available on the App Store.

This release focuses on bug fixes and quality-of-life improvements. One of the biggest usability improvements is bulk message editing. You can now select multiple messages, or select all, to move or delete in one step.

There’s also experimental emoji support. Winlink is limited to the ISO-8859-1 character set, so emojis can’t be transmitted directly. They do display correctly between RadioMail users though. Not exactly standards compliant, but good enough to have a little fun 🤪. Who knows, maybe other Winlink clients will adopt it too. Here’s the supported emoji mapping.

The biggest addition is a built-in ARDOP modem for HF. Supported sound card interfaces include:

  • Digirig Lite
  • AIOC (All-In-One Cable)
  • ICOM IC-705 (USB audio with Bluetooth CAT control)

This is the first HF software modem integrated directly into RadioMail. Along with packet, there are now two open standards for connecting and exchanging email over radio. I’m committed to adding more open modes over time so we can eliminate unnecessary dependencies on external hardware.

This release also includes significant internal refactoring to address changes introduced in the upcoming iOS/iPadOS 27 that were causing crashes. Hopefully there won’t be any further breaking changes before iOS 27 is released later this year.

If you plan to upgrade to iOS 27, you’ll need RadioMail 1.6.

Update on RadioMail 2.0

RadioMail 2.0 will be released as a new app rather than an update to the 1.x series.

The scope of the changes made this the right time for a clean break from the original codebase, provides a stronger foundation for future development. It also gives me the freedom to simplify the user experience by retiring features without taking anything away from existing users.

When RadioMail 2.0 is released later this year, RadioMail 1.x will enter maintenance mode. It will continue to work, but will no longer receive new features or updates.

Existing users who choose to upgrade will be able to perform a one-time migration of their email archive.

If you’ve purchased RadioMail recently, you’ll receive an extended trial period to explore RadioMail 2.0 and decide whether it’s the right upgrade for you. I’ll share more details about migration and upgrade options closer to launch.

B.B. Link sunset

The B.B. Link adapter is now officially sold out.

Thanks to everyone who picked one up and helped clear the final production run. I’m especially grateful not to have a stack of leftover PCBs taking over the linen closet. My wife thanks you too.

Onward.

G.