What’s Jack Dorsey’s Bitchat?
Jack Dorsey’s new app might revolutionize offline communication — and for good purpose. The founding father of Twitter and Block’s CEO has launched a pilot of Bitchat, a revolutionary new messaging app working solely with out an web connection.
What was initially a weekend challenge for Dorsey is shortly evolving right into a compelling proof-of-concept. It has the potential to supply actually decentralized, censorship-resistant communication, all of which is popping heads within the tech world and worrying governments.
Bitchat was launched in beta on July 7, 2025, and maxed out its 10,000 TestFlight slots inside a matter of hours. It instantly reveals an curiosity in an offline communication resolution like this.
The app isn’t only a technical experiment, although. It reveals a step into the long run the place communication might exist even when conventional infrastructure fails or faces censorship. In an more and more monitored digital world, a censorship-resistant communication instrument is piquing the curiosity of many customers.
How does the Bitchat offline messaging app work?
Bitchat works on a decentralized peer-to-peer messaging system that operates over a Bluetooth Low Power (BLE) mesh community. Meaning it doesn’t require servers, web, telephone numbers or centralized infrastructure.
In easy phrases, it runs on completely different rules in comparison with conventional messaging apps like WhatsApp. It removes the necessity for cell towers and WiFi networks, as an alternative making a decentralized mesh of Bluetooth.
As proven within the picture above, the mesh community makes use of BLE to relay messages throughout nodes inside 30 meters. Alice’s message to Dave hops by intermediate units (Bob and Carol) to succeed in its vacation spot.
Each system that runs Bitchat features each as a messaging shopper for the consumer and a server. This creates a mesh topology. Right here’s the way it works:
- If you ship a message, it doesn’t journey on a cellphone or web community to a distant server. It hops instantly between your system and close by Bitchat customers, who then relay it additional till it reaches its last vacation spot. It’s a bit like a high-tech Chinese language whisper.
- This message-hopping method requires direct Bluetooth vary between units of roughly 30-100 meters. Utilizing a store-and-forward system, messages can journey past this Bluetooth vary. For instance, if a recipient is offline quickly, messages might be cached and saved on close by units, then delivered to the recipient when reconnected to the mesh.
Key technical parts
There are some key technical parts that allow Bitchat to function on this peer-to-peer method:
- Peer-to-peer structure: There’s no single level of failure with every system performing as each a sender and a relay node. Counting on a whole bunch or hundreds of nodes creates decentralization the place networks can’t be introduced down by a single assault or outage.
- Message hopping: Knowledge packets can bounce as much as seven instances by the networked units, with every system including routing info to construct environment friendly paths.
- Finish-to-end encryption: Messages use X25519 key alternate and AES-256-GCM encryption. So, whereas knowledge passes between a number of units, solely the recipient and the sender can learn the message.
- No persistent identifiers: Random peer IDs are generated for every session to guard consumer privateness. So, every time you open the Bitchat app, it offers your system with an ID. There’s no persistent telephone quantity or electronic mail.
Do you know? The worldwide messaging safety market is projected to leap from $8.56 billion in 2024 to $20.41 billion by 2029. Extra customers and organizations are demanding privacy-first options in response to rising regulatory oversight and cyber threats.
How one can use the Bitchat decentralized messaging app
Proper now, Bitchat isn’t an official app within the iOS or Android shops. It’s obtainable as a beta model for iOS units utilizing Apple’s TestFlight, which is a platform used to check apps earlier than launch on the official app shops, though this beta model has already reached most capability.
The neighborhood on GitHub has additionally created an unofficial Android model, which is out there to make use of. However Android customers might want to sideload the app, which entails downloading the APK file from GitHub and putting in an unknown app out of your browser.
- To start out utilizing Bitchat, it’s refreshingly easy. There are not any laborious telephone numbers, account creation or private info to supply.
- As soon as loaded, the Bitchat utility begins in search of close by friends on the Bluetooth mesh. You’ll be robotically given a nickname reminiscent of “anon1234,” which might later be custom-made.
- For individuals who have used traditional chat rooms up to now, you’ll be acquainted with the IRC-style command interface. As soon as related to close by customers, you can begin chatting with others even in case you’re in an space with out cell protection or web. Your messages are relayed by the Bluetooth mesh community.
The privacy-first design additionally has an emergency wipe function the place you may triple-tap to clear all native knowledge immediately.
Do you know? Jack Dorsey’s firm, Block, owns over 8,000 Bitcoin (BTC) and processes BTC gross sales by its Money App — all alerts of Dorsey’s choice for constructing decentralized monetary infrastructure.
Bitchat use instances, defined
Bitchat is greater than only a gimmicky messaging app or try and keep away from surveillance. Dorsey outlines a number of essential use instances, together with:
Catastrophe coordination
In situations the place cell towers fail, reminiscent of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Bluetooth-style mesh networks might enable for maintained neighborhood connection and emergency companies connection throughout disasters. Significantly for emergency responders, the worth of mesh networking may very well be vital when conventional networks collapse.
Occasion overflows
When there are giant gatherings reminiscent of festivals or protests, cell networks can usually be overwhelmed and even be nonexistent in locations with poor protection. Mesh enlargement helps lengthen the vary of communication, successfully stretching networks throughout a whole occasion area. It might enable attendees to kind topic-based channels for messaging with out web entry and ship vital bulletins for group coordination.
Checkpoint sync
In places with censored or intermittent web, customers can proceed chatting and sharing info utilizing Bluetooth even when they solely have transient home windows of connectivity to the web. Periodic sync may enable any system in a mesh to briefly regain web entry at a checkpoint like a WiFi hotspot after which synchronize particular channels or messages with the broader community.
Cross-community bridges
Separated communities in geographically associated areas, like villages, might talk with out counting on centralized infrastructure. It might provide coordination, useful resource sharing and collective decision-making throughout locations which can be unreachable by way of the web. Though the system permits for transferring out and in of a mesh community in close by communities, for bigger distances, it turns into troublesome for lengthy journey instances, as messages are usually cached on a tool for 12 hours.
Do you know? The same Bluetooth messaging app known as Bridgefy noticed a 4,000% utilization spike through the Hong Kong protests, exhibiting the facility of offline, peer-to-peer messaging in defending towards censorship.
Mesh networks and the evolution of decentralized messaging
Bitchat might spark a broader transfer to include mesh networking applied sciences. Main tech corporations have already invested in mesh options, reminiscent of Google’s Nest units, which have mesh networking capabilities, whereas Starlink makes use of satellite tv for pc constellations to create a space-based mesh community.
Direct device-to-device communication supplied by Bitchat goals to reduce dependence on telecom suppliers and enhances resilience throughout outages, censorship or catastrophe situations. In politically unstable areas or throughout web blackouts, such platforms might turn into vital instruments without spending a dime expression and grassroots group.
For regulators, it raises some essential factors. With out a government and full encryption, it turns into difficult for regulation enforcement. As you might need seen with privacy-focused messaging apps like Telegram up to now, regulation enforcement struggles to hint legal conduct with utterly personal encrypted messaging techniques. The speedy adoption of the app suggests there may be sturdy demand for decentralized communication instruments.
Nonetheless, as customers turn into extra acutely aware of knowledge possession and surveillance, decentralized messaging faucets into the rising need for autonomy. With no single level of failure or management, these techniques are tougher to close down or censor. As mesh networking matures, you may even see a shift not simply in how messages journey, however in how folks understand belief, privateness and management of their digital interactions.
