Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey has launched Bitchat, a new peer-to-peer messaging app that functions without internet access, aiming to rival traditional platforms like WhatsApp by offering total decentralisation and enhanced privacy.
The app, currently in beta testing via Apple’s TestFlight, uses Bluetooth mesh networking to enable encrypted chats over distances exceeding 300 metres, no accounts, phone numbers, or central servers required.
With 10,000 early users already onboard, the beta test is reportedly full just days after launch.
According to a white paper accompanying the release, Bitchat offers end-to-end encryption and ephemeral messaging, with all data stored only on users’ devices. Messages vanish by default, and group conversations known as “rooms” allow multiple users to chat simultaneously.
“Bitchat addresses the need for resilient, private communication that doesn’t depend on centralised infrastructure,” the document explains.
Future updates are expected to add WiFi Direct, extending communication range and speed. Because it avoids cloud servers entirely, the app promises zero tracking, no metadata storage, and total user anonymity aligning with Dorsey’s ongoing push for censorship-resistant technology following his exit from Twitter.
The launch comes after Dorsey’s earlier decentralised project, Bluesky, failed to gain significant traction. Bitchat appears to be his next big bet in the race for privacy-first communication tools.
