Jack Dorsey, a co-founder of Twitter, launched Bitchat, a messaging app that doesn’t require phone or WiFi access. Bitchat allows users to connect by using just a phone’s Bluetooth signal. By using a Bluetooth mesh network, the software gets around Bluetooth’s usual 100-meter range by sending messages to other users in the vicinity.
Mr. Dosey shared that Bitchat is a decentralized and encrypted communication service that operates without requiring a user’s email address, phone number, or account.
Bitchat is a decentralized and encrypted communication service that operates without requiring a user’s email address, phone number, or account. The app uses Bluetooth low-energy mesh networking to enable direct peer-to-peer messaging within physical proximity, with automatic message relay extending the effective range beyond direct Bluetooth connections. Bitchat has a range of over 300 meters through Bluetooth mesh networking, and no centralized servers means no tracking or data collection.
Apple has launched a peer-to-peer app called “rooms” that allows users to interact with multiple people simultaneously. The app’s peer-to-peer nature aligns with other projects launched by Mr. Dorsey, who has focused on censorship-resistant technologies since leaving Twitter. A beta version is available on Apple’s TestFlight for early users to test before a wider rollout.
The app provides privacy and censorship resistance. It stores messages on the device, disappears by default, and doesn’t reach centralized infrastructure. Bitchat can continue functioning even when the internet is blocked.
Bitchat allows users to interact with multiple people simultaneously, with optional group chats called “rooms.” Future updates may enable faster and longer-range communication through WiFi networks.
The peer-to-peer nature aligns with other projects launched by Mr. Dorsey, who has focused on censorship-resistant technologies since leaving Twitter, now X. The app is already full since its launch, with 10,000 people already trying it out.
