InfoAid

is a free Android app that delivers up-to-date information for refugees and migrants travelling through south-east Europe. It was built specifically for people on the move along the Balkan route, and it covers every country on that corridor — including updates about conditions at the borders, weather reports for the Aegean crossing, ferry strikes, transportation information, security advice, information for children travelling alone, and many more topics.

Some of the reports surfaced in the app come from the platform News That Moves, a humanitarian journalism project that has published verified, service-oriented news for people on the move. The app is developed and maintained by volunteer developers from Hungary and is donated to Migration Aid, a group of volunteers based in Hungary. Its sole purpose is to help and provide necessary and valid information. It is not connected in any form to the Hungarian government.

Key Takeaways

• InfoAid is a free, offline-capable Android app that aggregates daily situation reports for the Balkan route, covering Turkey, Greece, Macedonia, Croatia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Serbia and Slovenia.
• Reports are translated by volunteers into English, Arabic, Farsi, Greek, Pashto and Urdu, so the same core information reaches speakers of the region’s most common migrant languages.
• Once reports are downloaded, the app works offline — a critical design choice for border zones, transit camps and rural stretches where mobile data is unreliable or expensive.
• It is independent and volunteer-run, donated to the Hungarian NGO Migration Aid, and explicitly not affiliated with the Hungarian government — an important distinction for users who are wary of official channels.
• It bundles the RefugeePhrasebook, a small multilingual translation dictionary, turning the app into both a news source and a basic communication aid.
• Treat it as one input, not the only one. Because it is volunteer-maintained, cross-check time-sensitive information (border closures, transport) against official sources and aid workers on the ground.

What InfoAid Actually Does

At its core, InfoAid is a situation-report reader. Rather than trying to be a social network, a map, or a chat tool, it does one job: it collects short, practical updates about the route ahead and presents them in a readable, translated form.

That focus matters. During the peak of the Balkan route movement, the single most valuable thing a person approaching a border needed was current, trustworthy, plain-language information: Is the crossing open? Is there a ferry strike? What is the weather doing on the water? Is there a safe place for an unaccompanied minor to get help? InfoAid was designed around those questions.

The topics it covers include:

• Border situation updates — whether a crossing is open, congested, or subject to changing rules.
• Weather reports for the Aegean/Turkish Sea crossing — relevant to anyone contemplating or awaiting a sea crossing, where conditions can change quickly.
• Ferry strikes and transport disruptions — the kind of detail that can strand people for days if they don’t know about it in advance.
• Transportation information — how to move between key points on the route.
• Security advice — practical guidance for staying safe along the way.
• Information for children travelling alone — a vulnerable group that needs dedicated, careful messaging.

Because these are exactly the categories where stale information is worse than no information, the app’s daily update cycle is central to its value.

Coverage Along the Balkan Route

InfoAid covers the full set of countries that made up the corridor at the time of its design:

• Turkey — the departure side of the Aegean crossing.
• Greece — the primary entry point into the EU for many travellers on this route.
• Macedonia (now North Macedonia) — a key transit country.
• Serbia — a major transit stage heading north.
• Croatia — an alternative transit route.
• Hungary — a northern destination and transit country, and the home base of the app’s volunteer developers.
• Bulgaria — a separate but related entry and transit route.
• Slovenia — the onward stage toward western and northern Europe.

This country list is a useful signal in itself: it tells you the app was scoped to the actual geography of the route rather than to a generic “Europe” audience. If your journey or your work as a volunteer touches any of these countries, the app is likely to be relevant. If you are operating on a different corridor — the central Mediterranean, the eastern Mediterranean beyond Turkey, or routes into other regions — you should expect the coverage to be thinner or absent, and look for locally focused alternatives.

Languages and the RefugeePhrasebook

InfoAid’s reports are updated daily and made available in many languages. A group of volunteers translates all reports into:

• English
• Arabic
• Farsi
• Greek
• Pashto
• Urdu

That language set is not arbitrary. It reflects the main languages spoken by people travelling the Balkan route, and it means a Farsi speaker and an Arabic speaker can read the same border update rather than relying on word-of-mouth chains that degrade with each retelling.

Also implemented into the app is the RefugeePhrasebook, a small translation dictionary for various languages. This is a meaningful addition: it turns InfoAid from a one-way information feed into a modest two-way communication aid. For a volunteer trying to explain something to someone who speaks a language they don’t, or for a traveller trying to make themselves understood at a counter or checkpoint, even a limited phrasebook can bridge a critical gap.

It’s worth being realistic about what a phrasebook can and cannot do. It is not an interpreter, it won’t handle complex or legal conversations, and it won’t replace professional translation for asylum procedures. But for everyday, practical exchanges — asking for water, explaining a medical need, finding a toilet, indicating a destination — it is genuinely useful, and it works in the same offline-friendly package as the news.

Offline Functionality: Why It Matters

One of InfoAid’s most important design decisions is that once the reports are downloaded, the app works offline.

Consider the situations where this matters most:

• At or near a border, where networks are congested or deliberately restricted.
• In transit camps and reception centres, where Wi-Fi may be overloaded or absent.
• On rural stretches of the route, where there is simply no signal.
• When data is expensive, and a traveller cannot afford to keep re-downloading.

In all of these, an app that requires a live connection is close to useless at exactly the moment it is most needed. By caching reports for offline reading, InfoAid lets a user download while they have connectivity — perhaps at a Wi-Fi point in a town or camp — and then read the information later, when they don’t.

The practical implication for users and volunteers is straightforward: download and refresh when you can, so you have the latest reports stored before you move into a low-connectivity area. Treat the download step as part of your preparation, not an afterthought.

Who Built It, and Why Independence Matters

InfoAid is developed and maintained by volunteer developers from Hungary and is donated to Migration Aid, a volunteer group based in Hungary. The app’s stated sole purpose is to help and provide necessary and valid information.

The app is explicitly not connected in any form to the Hungarian government. This is not a trivial disclaimer. For people on the move — and for the NGOs and volunteers supporting them — the source of information matters enormously.

Official government channels may be perceived as serving enforcement or policy goals rather than humanitarian ones, and trust in a source is a precondition for acting on its information. An app that is transparently volunteer-run and NGO-affiliated occupies a different trust position than a state app, and users should weigh that when deciding how much to rely on it.

At the same time, independence cuts both ways. A volunteer-run project is not backed by the resources of a government or a large institution. It depends on the continued commitment of its developers and translators. That has real consequences for users, which we cover below.

How to Use InfoAid Well: A Practical Checklist

InfoAid is most valuable when used deliberately. A few habits make a big difference:

• Refresh before you travel. Download the latest reports while you have a good connection, so the offline copy is current.
• Read the whole report, not just the headline. Border situations are nuanced; a short summary can omit the detail that applies to your specific case.
• Cross-check anything time-critical. For border closures, transport changes and safety issues, confirm with aid workers, camp staff, or official sources where available.
• Use the phrasebook for basics, not for anything consequential. For legal, medical or asylum matters, insist on a qualified interpreter.
• Note the update date. If a report looks old, treat it with caution — the situation on the route can change within hours.
• Share it with people who need it. The app spreads through word of mouth; volunteers and NGO staff are often the ones who introduce it.

Strengths and Limitations at a Glance

Aspect	What InfoAid offers	What to keep in mind
Purpose	Daily situation reports for the Balkan route	Focused on one corridor; not a general Europe guide
Coverage	Turkey, Greece, Macedonia, Croatia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Serbia, Slovenia	Routes and country situations change over time
Languages	English, Arabic, Farsi, Greek, Pashto, Urdu	Translation is volunteer-driven
Offline use	Reports readable without a connection once downloaded	You must download while connected
Extra tool	RefugeePhrasebook translation dictionary	Basic communication aid, not an interpreter
Governance	Volunteer developers, donated to Migration Aid	Independent of the Hungarian government; volunteer-run
Cost	Free	—
Platform	Android, via Google Play Store	Android only; no iOS version described

Getting the App

InfoAid is available free from the Google Play Store. You can find it by searching for “InfoAid” in the Play Store, or by scanning the QR code provided on the app’s listing page. The developer is listed as Enys Mones.

If you are a volunteer or NGO staff member helping someone set up their phone, the practical steps are:

1. Confirm the phone is Android and has Play Store access.
2. Search “InfoAid” and check the developer name matches.
3. Install, then open the app while connected so it can download the current reports.
4. Switch language to the user’s preferred one among the supported set.
5. Show them how to refresh and explain that the downloaded reports will still be readable offline.
6. Point out the RefugeePhrasebook so they know it’s there.

How InfoAid Fits Into a Wider Toolkit

No single app covers everything a person on the move needs. InfoAid is best understood as the news and situation-awareness layer of a small toolkit. Alongside it, travellers and the people helping them typically rely on:

• Maps and offline navigation, so they can find their way without a connection.
• Translation tools, for conversations beyond what a phrasebook handles.
• Messaging apps, to stay in contact with family and with volunteers.
• Official and NGO information channels, for anything with legal or procedural consequences.

InfoAid’s particular strength is that it is curated and translated — someone has already done the work of deciding what matters and putting it into the user’s language. That curation is what distinguishes it from an unfiltered feed, and it is why the app’s volunteer translators and editors are as important as its developers.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is InfoAid free to use?

Yes. InfoAid is free to download and use from the Google Play Store. It is a volunteer-built, non-commercial project donated to the Hungarian NGO Migration Aid, and its stated purpose is purely to provide helpful and valid information.

Does InfoAid work without an internet connection?

Yes — once the reports have been downloaded, the app works offline. This is one of its most important features, because border areas, transit camps and rural stretches of the route often have weak, congested or nonexistent connectivity. The key is to refresh the reports while you do have a connection.

Which countries does InfoAid cover?

It covers the countries of the Balkan route: Turkey, Greece, Macedonia (now North Macedonia), Croatia, Hungary, Bulgaria, Serbia and Slovenia. If your journey or work is on a different migration corridor, the app’s coverage may not apply to you.

What languages are the reports available in?

A group of volunteers translates the reports into English, Arabic, Farsi, Greek, Pashto and Urdu. The app also includes the RefugeePhrasebook, a small multilingual translation dictionary, which is useful for basic everyday communication.

Is InfoAid connected to any government?

No. The app is developed by volunteer developers from Hungary and donated to Migration Aid, a volunteer group based in Hungary. It is explicitly not connected in any form to the Hungarian government.

Can I rely on InfoAid as my only source of information?

It is best used as one input among several. Because it is volunteer-maintained and situations on the route can change quickly, you should cross-check time-critical details — border status, transport disruptions, safety issues — with aid workers, camp staff or official sources where possible. For legal, medical or asylum matters, always use a qualified interpreter rather than a phrasebook.

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