Jack Dorsey, the CEO of Block and co-founder of Twitter, has quietly rolled out a new messaging app called Bitchat and it’s unlike anything out there right now.
Built to run entirely over Bluetooth mesh networks, Bitchat doesn’t rely on the internet, servers, phone numbers, or even email. Instead, it lets users connect directly with one another through local, peer-to-peer links.
The app is currently in beta on Apple’s TestFlight, along with a technical white paper shared on GitHub.
Dorsey described the project as a personal exploration into things like mesh networks, message relays, store-and-forward systems, and encryption methods.
It’s a stripped-down, decentralized take on messaging, born more out of curiosity than commercial ambition.
How Bitchat work?
Jack Dorsey shared a white paper explaining the mechanism behind Bitchat’s work. It works by turning your phone into part of a larger web of nearby devices.
Using Bluetooth Low Energy, it creates short-range links between users, letting messages pass from one person’s phone to the next. As people move around, their phones connect on the fly, carrying messages with them.
This setup lets chats travel far beyond the typical Bluetooth range, with no WiFi, and no cell signal needed.
The white paper mentioned Bridge Devices, phones that naturally end up in the middle of overlapping groups and help link them together.
These “bridges” allow the network to stretch across bigger areas, keeping the conversation going even when people are spread out.
If someone’s not nearby when a message is sent, it doesn’t just disappear. Instead, your phone holds onto it and passes it along later when the recipient comes back into range.
Messages can stick around for a few hours or longer depending on how close the contact is to you, the white paper added.
Strong encryption
The white paper emphasized that Bitchat takes privacy seriously. Messages are locked down with strong encryption using tried-and-true methods like Curve25519 for the handshake and AES-GCM to keep the actual content secure.
But what really sets it apart is how little it holds onto. Messages don’t stick around they live in your device’s memory for a short time and disappear unless you forward them.
There are no servers storing anything, and no backups floating in the cloud.
And you don’t need to hand over a phone number, email, or even sign up. Just pick a username and you’re in. No fuss, no tracking just a simple way to talk without leaving a trail.
Reduce dependence on centralized tech
Jack Dorsey, known for his advocacy of privacy and decentralized platforms, designed Bitchat as a personal experiment exploring mesh networks, encryption, and resilient communication models.
This aligns with a growing movement seeking to reduce dependence on centralized tech giants and infrastructure vulnerable to censorship, surveillance, or outages.
By enabling secure, private, and internet-independent messaging, Bitchat offers a glimpse into a future where users control their communication without intermediaries.
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