What is Jack Dorsey’s Bitchat?
Jack Dorsey’s new app could revolutionize offline communication — and for good reason. The founder of Twitter and Block’s CEO has launched a pilot of Bitchat, a revolutionary new messaging app operating entirely without an internet connection.
What was initially a weekend project for Dorsey is quickly evolving into a compelling proof-of-concept. It has the potential to offer truly decentralized, censorship-resistant communication, all of which is turning heads in the tech world and worrying governments.
Bitchat was released in beta on July 7, 2025, and maxed out its 10,000 TestFlight slots within a matter of hours. It immediately shows an interest in an offline communication solution like this.
The app isn’t just a technical experiment, though. It shows a step into the future where communication could exist even when traditional infrastructure fails or faces censorship. In an increasingly monitored digital world, a censorship-resistant communication tool is piquing the interest of many users.
How does the Bitchat offline messaging app work?
Bitchat works on a decentralized peer-to-peer messaging system that operates over a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh network. That means it doesn’t require servers, internet, phone numbers or centralized infrastructure.
In simple terms, it runs on different principles compared to traditional messaging apps like WhatsApp. It removes the need for cell towers and WiFi networks, instead creating a decentralized mesh of Bluetooth.
As shown in the image above, the mesh network uses BLE to relay messages across nodes within 30 meters. Alice’s message to Dave hops through intermediate devices (Bob and Carol) to reach its destination.
Every device that runs Bitchat functions both as a messaging client for the user and a server. This creates a mesh topology. Here’s how it works:
- When you send a message, it doesn’t travel on a cell phone or internet network to a distant server. It hops directly between your device and nearby Bitchat users, who then relay it further until it reaches its final destination. It’s a bit like a high-tech Chinese whisper.
- This message-hopping technique requires direct Bluetooth range between devices of approximately 30-100 meters. Using a store-and-forward system, messages can travel beyond this Bluetooth range. For example, if a recipient is offline temporarily, messages can be cached and stored on nearby devices, then delivered to the recipient when reconnected to the mesh.
Key technical components
There are some key technical components that enable Bitchat to operate in this peer-to-peer manner:
- Peer-to-peer architecture: There’s no single point of failure with each device acting as both a sender and a relay node. Relying on hundreds or thousands of nodes creates decentralization where networks can’t be brought down by a single attack or outage.
- Message hopping: Data packets can jump up to seven times through the networked devices, with each device adding routing information to build efficient paths.
- End-to-end encryption: Messages use X25519 key exchange and AES-256-GCM encryption. So, while data passes between multiple devices, only the recipient and the sender can read the message.
- No persistent identifiers: Random peer IDs are generated for each session to protect user privacy. So, each time you open the Bitchat app, it provides your device with an ID. There’s no persistent phone number or email.
Did you know? The global messaging security market is projected to jump from $8.56 billion in 2024 to $20.41 billion by 2029. More users and organizations are demanding privacy-first solutions in response to growing regulatory oversight and cyber threats.
How to use the Bitchat decentralized messaging app
Right now, Bitchat isn’t an official app in the iOS or Android stores. It’s available as a beta version for iOS devices using Apple’s TestFlight, which is a platform used to test apps before release on the official app stores, although this beta version has already reached maximum capacity.
The community on GitHub has also created an unofficial Android version, which is available to use. But Android users will need to sideload the app, which involves downloading the APK file from GitHub and installing an unknown app from your browser.
- To start using Bitchat, it’s refreshingly simple. There are no laborious phone numbers, account creation or personal information to provide.
- Once loaded, the Bitchat application starts looking for nearby peers on the Bluetooth mesh. You’ll be automatically given a nickname such as “anon1234,” which can later be customized.
- For those who have used classic chat rooms in the past, you’ll be familiar with the IRC-style command interface. Once connected to nearby users, you can start chatting with others even if you’re in an area without cell coverage or internet. Your messages are relayed through the Bluetooth mesh network.
The privacy-first design also has an emergency wipe feature where you can triple-tap to clear all local data instantly.
Did you know? Jack Dorsey’s company, Block, owns over 8,000 Bitcoin (BTC) and processes BTC sales through its Cash App — all signals of Dorsey’s preference for building decentralized financial infrastructure.
Bitchat use cases, explained
Bitchat is more than just a gimmicky messaging app or attempt to avoid surveillance. Dorsey outlines several important use cases, including:
Disaster coordination
In scenarios where cell towers fail, such as Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Bluetooth-style mesh networks could allow for maintained community connection and emergency services connection during disasters. Particularly for emergency responders, the value of mesh networking could be critical when traditional networks collapse.
Event overflows
When there are large gatherings such as festivals or protests, cell networks can often be overwhelmed or even be nonexistent in places with poor coverage. Mesh expansion helps extend the range of communication, effectively stretching networks across an entire event space. It could allow attendees to form topic-based channels for messaging without internet access and deliver critical announcements for group coordination.
Checkpoint sync
In locations with censored or intermittent internet, users can continue chatting and sharing information using Bluetooth even if they only have brief windows of connectivity to the internet. Periodic sync can also allow any device in a mesh to briefly regain internet access at a checkpoint like a WiFi hotspot and then synchronize specific channels or messages with the wider network.
Cross-community bridges
Separated communities in geographically related areas, like villages, could communicate without relying on centralized infrastructure. It could offer coordination, resource sharing and collective decision-making across places that are unreachable via the internet. Although the system allows for moving in and out of a mesh network in nearby communities, for larger distances, it becomes troublesome for long travel times, as messages are typically cached on a device for 12 hours.
Did you know? A similar Bluetooth messaging app called Bridgefy saw a 4,000% usage spike during the Hong Kong protests, showing the power of offline, peer-to-peer messaging in protecting against censorship.
Mesh networks and the evolution of decentralized messaging
Bitchat could spark a broader move to incorporate mesh networking technologies. Major tech companies have already invested in mesh solutions, such as Google’s Nest devices, which have mesh networking capabilities, while Starlink uses satellite constellations to create a space-based mesh network.
Direct device-to-device communication offered by Bitchat aims to minimize dependence on telecom providers and enhances resilience during outages, censorship or disaster scenarios. In politically unstable regions or during internet blackouts, such platforms could become critical tools for free expression and grassroots organization.
For regulators, it raises some important points. Without a central authority and complete encryption, it becomes tricky for law enforcement. As you might have seen with privacy-focused messaging apps like Telegram in the past, law enforcement struggles to trace criminal behavior with completely private encrypted messaging systems. The rapid adoption of the app suggests there is strong demand for decentralized communication tools.
However, as users become more conscious of data ownership and surveillance, decentralized messaging taps into the growing desire for autonomy. With no single point of failure or control, these systems are harder to shut down or censor. As mesh networking matures, you may see a shift not just in how messages travel, but in how people perceive trust, privacy and control in their digital interactions.
