Twitter co-founder and tech entrepreneur Jack Dorsey has launched a new messaging app, Bitchat, that stands out for a radical reason: it doesn’t require the internet to function. Designed for privacy, decentralization, and resilience against censorship, Bitchat is currently available in beta for iPhone users through Apple’s TestFlight platform, where it quickly maxed out its 10,000 tester limit after launch.
Bitchat operates entirely over Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh networks. Instead of relying on servers, Wi-Fi, or mobile data, it creates local clusters of nearby devices—each acting as a node in a mesh. Messages are sent from one device to another, hopping across clusters, which allows them to travel much farther than standard Bluetooth’s 30-meter range.
Bitchat’s decentralized, serverless design directly addresses growing concerns over privacy, surveillance, and censorship. By removing the need for internet infrastructure, it enables communication in environments where connectivity is unreliable, restricted, or deliberately shut down—such as during protests or natural disasters.
This approach also gives users complete control over their data. Since messages never pass through a central server and are deleted automatically, the risk of interception or mass data collection is minimized.
Jack Dorsey, who also leads Block and has championed decentralized technologies like Bluesky and Damus, described Bitchat as an experiment in “Bluetooth mesh networks, relays and store-and-forward models, and message encryption.” He shared the app’s whitepaper and beta invite publicly, fueling interest in privacy-focused tech circles.
The current beta focuses on iPhone users, with plans to expand to more platforms and add features like Wi-Fi Direct for greater range and bandwidth. This would enable sharing of richer content, such as images and videos, in future updates.
The app’s beta filled up rapidly, indicating strong demand for privacy-first, offline communication tools. While it remains to be seen whether Bitchat will achieve mainstream adoption or remain a niche option for privacy enthusiasts, its launch marks a significant step toward decentralized, user-controlled communication.
