Introducing Bitchat: Dorsey's new app functional without internet connectivity
New Decentralized Messaging App Bitchat Launched by Jack Dorsey
Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter and CEO of Block Inc., has entered the messaging app market with a new offering: Bitchat. Launched in July 2025, this innovative app operates over Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh networks, making it an offline-capable, privacy-focused, and censorship-resistant communication tool.
Bitchat's key features include end-to-end encryption, ephemeral messaging, decentralized mesh networking, password-protected chat channels, and a panic mode for data erasure. The app also plans to integrate Wi-Fi Direct to extend coverage and data throughput beyond the Bluetooth range.
The app's architecture resembles early IRC messaging systems, prioritizing direct, group, and decentralized conversation. Messages on Bitchat are protected using high-security standards, such as Curve25519 key exchange and AES-GCM. Moreover, Bitchat does not require the creation of accounts, phone numbers, or persistent identifiers, providing operational anonymity.
Upon its announcement, Bitchat quickly gained attention, reaching its 10,000-user limit during beta testing via Apple’s TestFlight. However, a security flaw regarding user impersonation was discovered soon after, with Dorsey acknowledging it as part of ongoing work with no external security audit completed yet.
The potential impact of Bitchat is significant in scenarios where internet infrastructure is unavailable or compromised, such as remote areas, disaster zones, or regions with government censorship or network outages. It offers a censorship-resistant, privacy-preserving communication method without reliance on centralized platforms or traditional internet infrastructure.
This move towards a more decentralized and offline-capable messaging platform comes at a time when social media faces growing questions about content moderation, user tracking, and algorithm manipulation. Initiatives like Bitchat pave the way towards digital autonomy, aiming to create an ecosystem where communication and finance can operate without intermediaries.
Block Inc., the company founded by Dorsey, is also working on integrating Bitcoin payments into the Square platform by 2026 via the Lightning Network. This move further solidifies Dorsey's stance on the necessity of building censorship and corporate control-resistant tools.
In summary, Bitchat represents an innovative approach to secure, decentralized messaging that leverages Bluetooth mesh networks for offline communication, aiming to empower users with privacy, resilience, and censorship resistance in a world increasingly dependent on centralized internet services.
- Users of the new Bitchat app can enjoy a higher level of safety, as the app utilizes Bluetooth mesh networks for offline-capable, privacy-focused, and censorship-resistant communication, and it employs high-security standards like Curve25519 key exchange and AES-GCM.
- In the future, smartphone users might find it advantageous to rely on gadgets like the Bitchat app, as it offers a decentralized and offline-capable messaging solution, which could prove invaluable in scenarios with unavailable or compromised internet infrastructure, such as remote areas, disaster zones, or countries with censorship or network outages.
