By Ghazali Ibrahim
In a direct challenge to internet messaging giants like WhatsApp and Telegram, former Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey has introduced Bitchat, a new app that enables messaging without internet, SIM cards, or phone numbers.
It works entirely over Bluetooth mesh networks.
Bitchat, now in beta on Apple’s TestFlight, is built for a world increasingly concerned about digital surveillance, censorship, and infrastructure failure.
Unlike traditional messaging platforms owned by big tech companies, Bitchat runs off the grid, enabling users to communicate securely even during internet shutdowns or in areas with limited connectivity.
No servers. No phone numbers. No accounts.
Bitchat’s decentralized design means there are no central servers and no user registrations.
Messages are stored only on user devices and automatically disappear, mirroring the privacy-first ethos of ephemeral messaging apps, but without the internet.
Dorsey explained the app as a “personal experiment” exploring the future of communication, privacy, and resilience.
Messages hop from device to device through overlapping Bluetooth connections, using store and forward methods that allow delivery even when users are temporarily offline.
This technology mirrors network tools used by activists and protesters in high-surveillance zones, such as Hong Kong’s 2019 protests, where demonstrators relied on Bluetooth apps to avoid government monitoring.
Privacy as a standard, not an option
With no metadata collection and end-to-end encryption, Bitchat is part of Dorsey’s wider vision to create technology that returns control to users.
It’s the latest in a line of projects from the tech mogul, including Bluesky and his support for Damus, built on the Nostr protocol.
Features currently supported in Bitchat include encrypted one-on-one messaging, private group chats discoverable by hashtags, password-protected rooms, message delivery across distances via peer relays, planned future support for WiFi Direct for wider range.
Bitchat is also open-source, with its white paper now live on GitHub, inviting the developer community to shape its evolution.
