@tact finally started to use it in my family (the last old iPhone was replaced for a new one).
Had to invite others multiple times before a got them as contacts (the search nearby people didn’t work). If needed I can try again and write down my test scenarios and results.
And another thing - the badge notification doesn’t seem to work - I have enabled it but when I have an unread message, there is no badge on app icon (tried on two phones).

But the overall experience is as minimal as I like. Keep up the good work ;)