RTL-SDR Pager

RTL-SDR Pager turns any Android phone into a live POCSAG and FLEX pager decoder. Plug in an RTL-SDR USB dongle, tap Start, and watch decoded pages arrive in real time — no server, no account, no ads.

What it decodes

• POCSAG at 512, 1200 and 2400 bit/s — run all three at once, or narrow it down to save power
• FLEX at up to 6400 bit/s, 2- or 4-level FSK

Every decoded page shows up in a live, auto-scrolling feed with its timestamp, RIC or capcode, bit rate and message text.

Watchlist with push alerts

Add a RIC or a keyword to your watchlist and get notified the moment it shows up — even with the app in the background. You choose whether the alert shows the message text or just the fact that something arrived, and you can silence a watch without losing it.

Your own channel list

Save the frequencies you monitor under names you choose, and switch between them with one tap. The channel list can be exported and re-imported (premium), so you don’t have to retype it after a device change.

Note

Decoded messages are never written to disk. They exist only in memory for the current session and are gone the moment you close the app. No account, no cloud sync, no analytics, no ads. The only things ever saved on your device are your own watchlist and channel list — never anything actually received over the air.

What you need

• An RTL-SDR USB dongle (RTL2832U-based, e.g. RTL-SDR Blog V3/V4)
• A USB-C to USB-A (OTG) adapter or cable
• Android 10 or later

Free, with an optional upgrade

The app is free to use, with a per-session message allowance. A single one-time purchase — not a subscription — removes that limit and unlocks channel list backup.

License

The native decoding layer (multimon-ng, the DSP chain and the JNI bridge) is GPL-licensed and published separately, so anyone can inspect exactly how the decoding works.

ebc81/rtlsdr-pager-native-gpl: GPL-2.0 source of the native layer of the POCSAG Pager Android app: multimon-ng POCSAG decoder, librtlsdr, libusb Android port, and the DSP/JNI integration. Published as the GPL written offer.

The Kotlin app layer around it is proprietary.

Know your local laws

Pager monitoring rules vary by country. Some paging traffic — amateur radio, for instance — is lawful to receive in many places, while other bands (commercial, emergency services) are not. It’s your responsibility to know and follow the laws that apply where you are.

Legal attribution

Android, Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google Inc.