Jack Dorsey Launches Bitchat: A Decentralized Messaging App
Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter and CEO of Block, launched a new messaging app called Bitchat in July 2025. Described as a "weekend project," Bitchat is a decentralized, peer-to-peer messaging app that operates over Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh networks, allowing users to communicate without internet, Wi-Fi, or cellular service.
🔧 Key Features & Functionality
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Offline Communication: Bitchat enables direct device-to-device messaging within a range of up to 300 meters (984 feet), relaying messages through nearby devices in a BLE mesh network.
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Messaging Capabilities: Supports private messages, group chats (called “rooms” with optional password protection), and mentions via @handles.
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Privacy by Design: Messages are end-to-end encrypted, ephemeral by default (disappear after delivery), and stored only on-device.
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No Centralized Data: No internet, servers, or data collection are involved.
Sources: CNBC | Hindustan Times | Times of India
🔐 Privacy and Security
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No Accounts Needed: Users don’t need a phone number, email, or login.
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Panic Mode: A triple-tap on the logo clears all local data instantly.
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Security Concerns: The app has not undergone external security audits. Researchers have identified a potentially vulnerable authentication system and possible buffer overflow bug.
Sources: The Verge | TechCrunch
🛠 Development and Availability
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Built with AI: Developed using Goose, Block’s internal AI coding tool.
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Beta Testing: Currently in beta on Apple’s TestFlight platform, which reached its 10,000-user limit shortly after launch.
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Android Coming Soon: An Android version is in development.
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Planned Features: Future updates may include Wi-Fi Direct support for better range and speed.
Sources: Business Insider | India Today
🌍 Use Cases
Bitchat is designed for situations with limited or blocked connectivity, including:
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Protests and demonstrations
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Music festivals or events
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Disaster recovery zones
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Remote or rural areas
Similar tools like Bridgefy and FireChat were used during the Hong Kong pro-democracy protests for offline, censorship-resistant messaging.
Sources: The Verge | India Today
🧭 Broader Context
Dorsey’s latest project aligns with his longstanding interest in:
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Decentralized social platforms (e.g., Bluesky)
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Privacy-focused communication (e.g., Nostr support)
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Censorship resistance
While Bitchat reinforces these values, its security claims remain unverified, and caution is advised—especially for use in sensitive or high-risk environments.
Sources: New Atlas | Sherwood News
📄 Additional Resources
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Bitchat whitepaper on GitHub (if available) (Link placeholder)
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my weekend project to learn about bluetooth mesh networks, relays and store and forward models, message encryption models, and a few other things.
— jack (@jack) July 6, 2025
bitchat: bluetooth mesh chat...IRC vibes.
TestFlight: https://t.co/P5zRRX0TB3
GitHub: https://t.co/Yphb3Izm0P pic.twitter.com/yxZxiMfMH2
and here's an ugly whitepaper describing protocol: https://t.co/AhJ1y0jJdP
— jack (@jack) July 6, 2025
yes
— jack (@jack) July 7, 2025
yes eventually
— jack (@jack) July 7, 2025
this is exactly it.
— jack (@jack) July 6, 2025
nah
— jack (@jack) July 7, 2025
yes, but needs a client
— jack (@jack) July 7, 2025
yes. it does that now through relay and store and forward.
— jack (@jack) July 6, 2025
Jack Dorsey’s new app Bitchat—a Bluetooth mesh messenger that works entirely without Wi‑Fi, cellular service, or satellites—marks a striking pivot away from the modern trend of ubiquitous connectivity like StarLink satellite internet.
🌐 A Radical Move Away from “Internet Everywhere”
1. No central servers, no phone numbers, no satellite
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Unlike platforms built on global connectivity (e.g., StarLink’s aim to blanket the globe), Bitchat relies on Bluetooth Low Energy mesh—mobile devices themselves become the infrastructure (The Verge).
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No internet means no dependence on satellites, cell towers, or centralized datacenters. It's the opposite of today’s push for always-on, always-online paradigms.
2. Patient-zero resistance to censorship
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Bitchat channels the ethos of underground networks—off-grid communication during protests, Blackouts, or authoritarian blockades—something StarLink can’t counter .
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This tool is meant for pockets of connectivity, not global coverage.
3. Privacy and ephemerality at its core
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Messages are end-to-end encrypted, vanish by default, and are never collected or stored on servers (Lifewire).
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Contrast that with satellite‑powered platforms, which—despite encryption—still route data through centralized systems prone to surveillance or data retention.
Why This Is a Purposeful Reversal
| Trend | StarLink & Global Internet | Dorsey’s Bitchat |
|---|---|---|
| Infrastructure | Satellites, ground stations, global ISPs | Bluetooth mesh: devices form the network |
| Centralization | Data flows through centralized servers | Peer-to-peer—no central authority |
| Coverage | Global, reliable—dependency intended | Local, ad-hoc—built for disconnection |
| Privacy | Service provider access, metadata concerns | Encrypted, ephemeral, no metadata collection |
Bitchat is not about launching another piece of global infrastructure—it’s explicitly embracing fragmentation. It presents a bottom-up, privacy-focused alternative to the top-down, mass coverage model of modern internet expansion.
Some Caveats & Real-World Considerations
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Security concerns: A GitHub update now warns Bitchat hasn't yet been thoroughly audited—early adopters found identity spoofing vulnerabilities (The Verge, Lifewire, Wikipedia, Business Standard, DailyCoin, Digital Information World, CNBC, TechCrunch).
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Limited range and scale: Mesh works best in proximity. Without Wi‑Fi Direct (intended in future versions), it relies on users physically near each other (The Verge).
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Beta-limited availability: Currently capped at 10,000 TestFlight users, still awaiting full release (The Verge).
Bottom Line
Jack Dorsey’s Bitchat is a conscious departure from the modern ethos of “everyone connected everywhere” via satellites and fiber. It’s a niche—but potent—decentralized tool for resilient, private, short-range communication, especially relevant when the global Internet is unavailable or censored.
In an age of omnipresent connectivity (like StarLink’s), Dorsey has paradoxically gone in the opposite direction—toward localized, ephemeral, user-controlled networks that operate when the broader infrastructure fails.
Now when every point in the Pacific Ocean has satellite internet, what is the point of running in the opposite direction? https://t.co/K3cDKOKNPe @elonmusk @jack
— Paramendra Kumar Bhagat (@paramendra) July 12, 2025
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