Dorsey launches Bitchat, an 'internetless' Whatsapp rival

Snapshot

• Bitchat enables encrypted messaging without internet access.
• Messages relay peer-to-peer to extend Bluetooth range to 300 meters.
• The beta launch furthers Dorsey’s push for decentralized protocols.

A decentralised peer-to-peer messaging app that runs entirely over Bluetooth mesh networks is how the ex-Twitter boss's firm Block describes Bitchat.

In other words, it will piggyback on interconnected bluetooth devices to create routes to send and receive encrypted messages, without touching the internet.

Closed and obscured within the Bluetooth, Bitchat promises increased privacy and offline connectivity. It will work without the user needing a phone number or wifi.

Bitchat says its technology uses store-and-forward relays through nearby devices, extending range by up to 300 meters between connections (versus standard Bluetooth limits of about 100 meters).

Dorsey, who co-founded Twitter and Square, wrote on X that he spent his weekend learning about “Bluetooth mesh networks, relays, store and forward models, message encryption models, and a few other things” as he developed the app.