Jack Dorsey, a co-founder of Twitter, unveils Bitchat, a messaging program that functions without an internet connection

Jack Dorsey introduces Bitchat, a Bluetooth messaging application that allows iPhone users to talk securely and decentralizedly without the need for an internet connection.

Jack Dorsey, one of the co-founders of Twitter, has introduced a brand new messaging app that can run offline.  Bitchat is a whole new peer-to-peer messaging system that runs without a phone network or central server.  This privacy-focused texting application is available only to iPhone users through TestFlight.

Bitchat uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh networks in all its operations, which enable the use of smartphones to form local clusters and exchange encrypted messages across devices.  Using Bluetooth to communicate eliminates the need for Wi-Fi and a cellular network.  When the network is down or in places where the internet connection is poor, this will come in quite handy.

Bitchat is fully decentralized, as opposed to other messaging apps like WhatsApp or Telegram that are based on servers and require users to register with an email or a phone number.  Messages exist only in users' devices and disappear within a short time; there is no centralized store.  Users' privacy and resistance to censorship are the highest priority in this architecture.

How the Bitchat messaging app operates

• Bluetooth mesh networking depends on Bluetooth clusters formed by nearby devices, which are about 30 meters away.  Messages may go further than Bluetooth's normal coverage area because of the ability of the user devices to connect other devices' clusters as they pass through.

• No internet is needed for the app to function, no Wi-Fi, mobile data, or central servers.

• End-to-end encryption ensures messages stay on the network. These messages are deleted automatically by default after a certain period.

No registration is needed, as communication is anonymous because users don't need to log in with their phone number or email address.

Availability of Bitchat

Bitchat is at the moment available only as a beta via Apple's TestFlight service, where it breached the 10,000 test threshold in a matter of hours.  Jack Dorsey released the app's whitepaper and beta invitation to the public.

Relay stability and battery life enhancement are the top priorities of the beta phase, with the added platform compatibility in future releases.  The developers intend to add the Wi-Fi protocol in the final release to improve bandwidth and facilitate the movement of rich content, such as images and videos.