diff --git a/xwords4/android/XWords4/src/org/eehouse/android/xw4/RelayService.java b/xwords4/android/XWords4/src/org/eehouse/android/xw4/RelayService.java
index 58147b339..1d1258920 100644
--- a/xwords4/android/XWords4/src/org/eehouse/android/xw4/RelayService.java
+++ b/xwords4/android/XWords4/src/org/eehouse/android/xw4/RelayService.java
@@ -43,6 +43,10 @@ public class RelayService extends Service {
     private static final String proxy_addr = "10.0.2.2";
     private static final int proxy_port = 10998;
     private static final byte PROTOCOL_VERSION = 0;
+
+    // from xwrelay.h
+    private static byte PRX_PUB_ROOMS = 1;
+    private static byte PRX_HAS_MSGS = 2;
     
     private NotificationManager m_nm;
 
@@ -55,7 +59,8 @@ public class RelayService extends Service {
         Thread thread = new Thread( null, new Runnable() {
                 public void run() {
 
-                    ArrayList<byte[]>ids = collectIDs();
+                    int[] nBytes = new int[1];
+                    ArrayList<byte[]>ids = collectIDs( nBytes );
                     if ( null != ids && 0 < ids.size() ) {
                         try {
                             SocketFactory factory = SocketFactory.getDefault();
@@ -65,16 +70,26 @@ public class RelayService extends Service {
                             socket.setSoTimeout( 3000 );
                             DataOutputStream outStream = 
                                 new DataOutputStream( socket.getOutputStream() );
-                            outStream.writeByte( PROTOCOL_VERSION );
 
+                            // total packet size
+                            outStream.writeShort( 2 + nBytes[0] + ids.size() + 1 );
+                            Utils.logf( "total packet size: %d",
+                                        2 + nBytes[0] + ids.size() );
+
+                            outStream.writeByte( PROTOCOL_VERSION );
+                            outStream.writeByte( PRX_HAS_MSGS );
+
+                            // number of ids
                             outStream.writeShort( ids.size() );
                             Utils.logf( "wrote count %d to proxy socket",
                                         ids.size() );
+
                             for ( byte[] id : ids ) {
-                                outStream.writeShort( id.length );
-                                Utils.logf( "wrote length %d to proxy socket",
-                                            id.length );
+                                // outStream.writeShort( id.length );
+                                // Utils.logf( "wrote length %d to proxy socket",
+                                //             id.length );
                                 outStream.write( id, 0, id.length );
+                                outStream.write( '\n' );
                             }
                             outStream.flush();
 
@@ -82,8 +97,31 @@ public class RelayService extends Service {
                                 new DataInputStream(socket.getInputStream());
                             Utils.logf( "reading from proxy socket" );
                             short result = dis.readShort();
+                            short nameCount = dis.readShort();
+                            short[] msgCounts = null;
+                            if ( nameCount == ids.size() ) {
+                                msgCounts = new short[nameCount];
+                                for ( int ii = 0; ii < nameCount; ++ii ) {
+                                    msgCounts[ii] = dis.readShort();
+                                }
+                            }
                             socket.close();
-                            Utils.logf( "read %d and closed proxy socket", result );
+                            Utils.logf( "closed proxy socket" );
+
+                            if ( null != msgCounts ) {
+                                for ( int ii = 0; ii < nameCount; ++ii ) {
+                                    if ( msgCounts[ii] > 0 ) {
+                                        String msg = 
+                                            String.format("%d messages for %s",
+                                                          msgCounts[ii], 
+                                                          ids.get(ii).toString() );
+                                        // Toast.makeText( RelayService.this, msg,
+                                        //                 Toast.LENGTH_SHORT).
+                                            // show();
+                                    }
+                                }
+                            }
+
                         } catch( java.net.UnknownHostException uhe ) {
                             Utils.logf( uhe.toString() );
                         } catch( java.io.IOException ioe ) {
@@ -136,19 +174,24 @@ public class RelayService extends Service {
     //     m_nm.notify( R.string.running_notification, notification );
     // }
 
-    private ArrayList<byte[]> collectIDs()
+    private ArrayList<byte[]> collectIDs( int[] nBytes )
     {
+        nBytes[0] = 0;
         ArrayList<byte[]> ids = new ArrayList<byte[]>();
         String[] games = GameUtils.gamesList( this );
         for ( String path : games ) {
             Utils.logf( "looking at %s", path );
             GameSummary summary = DBUtils.getSummary( this, path );
-            if ( null != summary.relayID ) {
+            if ( null != summary && null != summary.relayID ) {
+                Utils.logf( "adding id %s with length %d", summary.relayID, 
+                            summary.relayID.length );
                 ids.add( summary.relayID );
-                Utils.logf( "adding id with length %d", summary.relayID.length );
+                nBytes[0] += summary.relayID.length;
+            } else {
+                Utils.logf( "no summary" );
             }
         }
-
+        
         return ids;
     }