Jack Dorsey, the Block CEO and Twitter co-founder, has rolled out the beta of Bitchat—a peer-to-peer messaging app that works entirely over Bluetooth Low Energy mesh networks.
He announced the launch on X(Twitter) on Sunday, saying he spent his weekend studying mesh networks, relays, store-and-forward models, and message encryption methods.
Bitchat aims to let users send encrypted messages without any internet connection, central servers, or personal accounts.
How Bitchat Connects Devices
Bitchat runs on Bluetooth Low Energy, forming a mesh that links devices directly. Each phone or tablet acts as both a sender and a relay.
When you send a message, it hops from one device to the next until it reaches its target.
Large texts are broken into 500-byte pieces to fit the network limits. All messages are encrypted end-to-end, with extra protection for private chats, group rooms or broadcasts.
By default, messages live only in device memory and vanish unless you choose to save them.
Built for Privacy and Resilience
Unlike most chat apps today, Bitchat does not need phone numbers, email addresses or user profiles.
The system has no central hub or company collecting data. This design makes it hard for any single point of failure to block or shut down messaging.
If the local internet is down or under heavy censorship, people can still swap messages with anyone nearby. Dorsey describes it as a return to the early web’s chat days, with a modern, encrypted twist.
Use Cases Beyond Daily Chat
Bitchat’s makers see it working at concerts, conferences, sporting events or protests—any place where too many people strain cell towers. It could also link first responders in disaster zones where networks are offline.
In each scenario, messages bypass the usual internet pipes and reroute across devices in range. If someone is out of Bluetooth reach, future updates may let messages switch to Wi-Fi links to cover more ground and carry larger files.
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Drawing on Early Internet Roots
The whitepaper compares Bitchat to Internet Relay Chat (IRC) from the late 1990s. Back then, people logged into public chat rooms on desktop computers. Those rooms had no ads and few rules.
Bitchat brings back that feel but adds layers of modern security. All traffic is encrypted, and only peers in direct or relayed range see the data. No corporate owner is mining your texts for profit or targeting you with ads.
Challenges and Next Steps
Mesh networking over Bluetooth faces hurdles. Range is limited, around 10 to 30 metres in open space, and walls or crowds can interfere. Battery drain is another worry since devices must stay in constant listening mode.
Dorsey’s team will need to fine-tune power use and relay efficiency before a public rollout. The planned Wi-Fi mode could ease some of these limits by boosting speed and distance, but it may also bring new security concerns.
What This Means for Messaging
Most popular chat apps today come from large platforms that trade on user data. Meta’s WhatsApp and Messenger, for example, collect metadata and may share insights across services.
Bitchat skips all that by design. It shows an emerging trend toward apps that work without big servers and keep data off the corporate grid. If it succeeds, users may think twice before sending every text through centralised networks.
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