How to message VATSIM ATC from your phone

How it works

Only your pilot client is allowed to talk to VATSIM. Cobalt never logs on as you and never opens a second connection. Instead, Cobalt Bridge passes messages to and from the pilot client already running on your PC.

1. Cobalt on the phone
2. Cobalt Bridge
3. vPilot or xPilot
4. VATSIM
5. The controller

You type in Cobalt. The phone sends the message to the Bridge over your Wi-Fi, or over Relay with Peak. The Bridge hands it to the pilot client, and the pilot client sends it. The controller sees an ordinary private message from your callsign, the same as typing .msg in vPilot, with nothing about Cobalt in it.

On MSFS, a small plugin inside vPilot, CobaltVPilot.dll, does the handoff through vPilot's published plugin interface. xPilot has no plugin interface, so on X-Plane the Bridge offers an opt-in relay. It sits between the xPilot app and xPilot's own X-Plane plugin and passes their traffic through untouched.

Set it up with vPilot on MSFS

1. 1

   Connect Cobalt to the Bridge

   If the phone already shows your flight, this step is done. If not, follow the setup guide first.

2. 2

   Quit vPilot and install the plugin

   Fully quit vPilot. In Cobalt Bridge, open Settings and choose Install vPilot plugin on the ATC messages card. It copies CobaltVPilot.dll into %LOCALAPPDATA%\vPilot\Plugins\.

3. 3

   Restart vPilot and confirm

   Open vPilot and look under Settings, Plugins for Cobalt. After this, start order does not matter. The plugin reconnects to the Bridge on its own within a few seconds.

4. 4

   Send your first message

   Connect to VATSIM as usual. In Cobalt, open an airport's live ATC list or a controller's sheet, tap Message ATC, and write. The thread shows Delivered once vPilot has taken the message.

   

Set it up with xPilot on X-Plane

1. 1

   Turn on X-Plane messaging

   In Cobalt Bridge, open Settings, find the X-Plane messaging card, and choose Turn on. It is off by default.

2. 2

   Point xPilot at Cobalt

   Quit xPilot completely first, because it rewrites its settings when it exits. Then choose Point xPilot at Cobalt. The Bridge saves your original xPilot settings and switches xPilot to the relay: the PC's LAN address, plugin port 53200, and UDP port 49010.

3. 3

   Restart and check the chain

   Restart X-Plane and xPilot. The Bridge card should show xPilot connected to Cobalt, Cobalt connected to X-Plane, and the VATSIM network once you log on. From there, messaging works the same as on MSFS.

What it does and does not do

Cobalt handles text private messages. That covers what happens in a private chat window: asking for a different runway, checking a clearance you missed, answering when a controller reaches out first.

• Private messages only. Text sent on frequency, ATIS, and CPDLC do not reach the app.
• Text only. No voice and no attachments. Voice stays in your pilot client.
• Delivered means handed over. It means your pilot client took the message. VATSIM has no read receipt.
• No replay. A message that arrives while the phone has no link to the Bridge and notifications are off is not replayed later. It stays in your pilot client.
• IVAO. The Altitude client has no public plugin interface. Cobalt can copy a ready-to-paste .msg line to the PC clipboard, but replies do not come back to the phone.

Replies and notifications

When a controller writes to you, including first contact from a station you have never messaged, the message lands in Cobalt Inbox with an unread badge and a notification. It arrives whether Cobalt is open, in the background, or closed, as long as notifications are allowed. Mute a thread to keep it quiet.

Controller-online alerts are free and separate. Cobalt tells you when a station opens at your departure, your destination, or along the route, so you know when it is time to get back in the seat. More on the ATC alerts and messaging page.

Good manners on the network

Messaging from the phone is a convenience, not a way to fly unattended. VATSIM expects you to be able to respond to ATC while connected. For a short break, the out-of-cockpit auto-reply in Cobalt Settings, Alerts answers incoming ATC messages for you. It is capped at 30 minutes to stay within VATSIM's rules on unattended connections. Check the current VATSIM Code of Conduct for the details.

If a message does not go through

• Not delivered, with a clipboard note. The Bridge could not reach the plugin or relay, so it copied a .msg line to the PC clipboard instead. Restart vPilot, and check nothing else on the PC uses port 52180.
• vPilot does not list the plugin. Confirm the file is in %LOCALAPPDATA%\vPilot\Plugins\, then fully quit and reopen vPilot.
• Not connected to the network. If your pilot client is open but offline, the Bridge refuses the message instead of guessing. Connect to VATSIM first.
• xPilot cannot see X-Plane. Make sure the Bridge is running, then restart X-Plane after pointing xPilot at Cobalt.

Questions