Over the weekend, Block CEO and Twitter co‑founder Jack Dorsey unveiled Bitchat, a peer-to-peer messaging app that works entirely via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh, with no internet, servers, phone numbers, or central accounts required reddit
1. 🔗 Offline Mesh Communication
Bitchat allows encrypted conversations directly between nearby devices, forming mesh networks—messages can hop up to 300 m leveraging multiple devices and bridge nodes, without needing Wi-Fi or cellular connection
2. 🔒 Privacy, Encryption & Ephemeral Chats
Chats are end-to-end encrypted, ephemeral, and stored only on device. Users can join or create group “rooms” with hashtags and optional passwords. Messages vanish by default and do not touch centralized infrastructure
3. 📲 Beta Launch & Tech Specs
- Launched as a closed beta via TestFlight (maxed at 10,000 testers).
- Dorsey released the whitepaper and source code on GitHub. Future updates will add Wi-Fi Direct support for broader range and higher speed
4. 🌐 Designed for Resilience
Bitchat targets use cases like protests, disaster zones, or remote areas—situations where internet is blocked or unavailable. Its offline mesh tech echoes tools like Bridgefy used during Hong Kong’s protests
5. 🛠 Experiment in Decentralization
Dorsey described Bitchat as a personal “weekend project” exploring Bluetooth mesh, relays, store-and-forward models, and encryption—continuing his advocacy for decentralization seen in Bluesky and Damus
✅ Summary
Bitchat marks Jack Dorsey’s bold entry into offline, decentralized messaging. By enabling encrypted, ephemeral, peer-to-peer communication with no centralized infrastructure, it promises resilience in censorship-prone and connectivity-challenged environments. Now in beta on TestFlight, future updates will expand its range and speed via Wi‑Fi Direct.
