Former Twitter CEO Launches Bitchat Bluetooth Messaging App

Bitchat is a new experimental messaging application that runs solely over Bluetooth mesh networks, doing away with the need for the internet, servers, SIM cards, phone numbers, or even email addresses. It was introduced by Jack Dorsey, the co-founder and former CEO of Twitter.

After supporting platforms like Damus and Bluesky, Dorsey has been a promoter for decentralised, privacy-preserving, and censorship-resistant technology; this decision is another significant step in that direction.

The application is now available in beta on TestFlight, a test version made available to test new features and address bugs prior to the official release of the complete version.

It is an app built for the offline world and Dorsey claims that Bitchat uses Bluetooth to provide peer-to-peer, encrypted communication between adjacent mobile devices.

People’s gadgets roam around in impermanent groups, sending messages locally between phones. By connecting overlapping clusters, “bridge devices” allow messages to travel over long distances.

“It’s a personal experiment with message encryption models, relays, store and forward models, and Bluetooth mesh networks, among other things.”

Because of its structure, the software can operate without Wi-Fi or cell service, which makes it especially useful in situations when there is a lot of surveillance or when the internet is shut off.

The mode of operation for the application, Bitchat, is that messages are not kept on central servers by Bitchat. Rather, all communications are saved locally on users’ devices and automatically vanish, according to the ideas of user-owned communication and ephemeral messaging.

Since users are not required to create accounts, no metadata or personal identifiers are gathered by the program.

As of right now, the software supports:

• Encrypted one-on-one conversations.
• Group messaging using rooms is optional; it is password-protected and hashtag-searchable.

Message delivery to offline devices might be delayed thanks to store and forward features.

WiFi Direct, a technology that will enable faster and wider communication without the need for internet infrastructure, will be included in a future edition of the app.

Everyone should be aware that the idea was inspired by Bluetooth-based applications that were utilized during the 2019 protests in Hong Kong, where demonstrators established local mesh networks to evade censorship and surveillance.

This similar idea is carried further by Bitchat, which permits conversation to go on even in places where the internet is restricted.

Dorsey has long supported decentralization as a means of giving users back control. This initiative expands on his support of Bluesky, a federated Twitter substitute, and Damus, a decentralized social media platform based on the Nostr protocol.

Bitchat has privacy features including password-protected channels and a “Panic Mode” that quickly erases all data when the logo is triple-tapped. Dorsey also shared images of the application, which demonstrate that it doesn’t use accounts, servers, or data collecting.

Over the past ten years, pro-democracy demonstrators in Hong Kong have made significant use of similar Bluetooth-based messaging apps, such as Bridgefy and the now-defunct FireChat, since they are more difficult for Chinese authorities to track down or prohibit. Bitchat has a range of over 300 meters (984 feet), while Bridgefy claims to be able to relay messages up to 100 meters (330 feet). Future updates will enable users to boost speed and range over Wi-Fi Direct.

Beta testers can access Bitchat through Apple TestFlight, however the platform is now full after exceeding its 10,000 user limit. According to Dorsey, the app is currently being reviewed before being made available to everyone.

Bitchat’s launch responds to mounting worries about Big Tech’s data collecting, digital spying, and the vulnerability of centralized systems in times of disaster, protest, and conflict. The app’s open-source white paper is now accessible on GitHub, enticing developers to research or add to the protocol, even if it is currently under beta testing for iOS users via TestFlight.