Jack Dorsey, co-founder and former CEO of Twitter, has introduced Bitchat—an experimental messaging app that runs exclusively on Bluetooth mesh networks. The platform functions without the internet, servers, SIM cards, phone numbers, or email addresses.
This launch reflects Dorsey’s continued commitment to decentralized, privacy-focused, and censorship-resistant technologies, aligning with his previous support for projects like Damus and Bluesky.
Bitchat is currently available in beta through TestFlight, allowing early users to explore its features and provide feedback ahead of its official release.
An App Built for the Offline World
Bitchat is designed for environments where traditional internet access is unreliable, restricted, or monitored. According to its creator, Jack Dorsey, the app enables secure, peer-to-peer communication between nearby mobile devices using Bluetooth.
As users move, their devices form temporary mesh networks—clusters that allow messages to hop locally from phone to phone. These messages can travel across wider distances using “bridge devices,” which connect overlapping clusters and extend the communication range.
“It’s a personal experiment in Bluetooth mesh networks, relays, store-and-forward delivery, message encryption, and more,” Dorsey explained.
This decentralized architecture allows Bitchat to operate entirely without Wi-Fi or cellular networks, making it especially valuable during internet blackouts, government shutdowns, or in surveillance-heavy settings.
How Bitchat Works
Bitchat is built with privacy and decentralization at its core:
- No Central Servers: Messages are stored locally on users’ devices and disappear by default, embracing the principles of ephemeral and user-owned communication.
- No Accounts Required: Users aren’t asked to register or provide personal information, ensuring no metadata or identifiers are collected.
- Encrypted Messaging: One-on-one chats are end-to-end encrypted for secure communication.
- Group Chats: Optional group messaging is supported through password-protected “rooms” that can be discovered using hashtags.
- Store-and-Forward: Messages can be temporarily stored and forwarded later, allowing delivery to users who were offline at the time of sending.
An upcoming update will integrate WiFi Direct, expanding the app’s range and speed without relying on internet infrastructure.
Why It Matters
Bitchat draws inspiration from tools used during the 2019 Hong Kong protests, where demonstrators evaded censorship by creating local mesh networks. This same spirit of decentralized resilience guides Bitchat’s development.
The project reflects Dorsey’s continued push for user-controlled platforms. It follows his backing of Damus, a decentralized social app based on the Nostr protocol, and the creation of Bluesky, a federated alternative to Twitter.
Bitchat enters the scene amid growing concerns over surveillance, centralized data collection, and the fragility of internet-dependent systems during crises. Currently in beta via TestFlight for iOS, the app’s open-source white paper is available on GitHub—inviting developers to explore or contribute to its development.
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