Jack Dorsey's Bitchat Beta Fills 10,000 Slots, Highlighting Demand for Decentralized Offline Messaging

Jack Dorsey, CEO of Block and co-founder of Twitter, has unveiled Bitchat, an experimental peer-to-peer messaging application designed to operate entirely over Bluetooth mesh networks without requiring internet access. Announced on Sunday, the app quickly saw its beta program on Apple's TestFlight reach its 10,000-user capacity, signaling significant public interest in off-grid communication solutions. Dorsey described the project as a "weekend experiment" to explore mesh networks and encryption models.

Bitchat enables end-to-end encrypted communication by relaying messages between nearby devices, effectively forming a self-organizing mesh network. While standard Bluetooth range is typically limited to around 100 meters, Dorsey claims Bitchat can extend this to 300 meters by leveraging peer devices to forward messages. The app is designed with no central servers, user accounts, or phone numbers, ensuring messages are stored only on the device and are ephemeral by default.

This initiative aligns with Dorsey's long-standing advocacy for decentralized technologies and privacy-preserving platforms. Bitchat's functionality draws parallels to apps like Bridgefy, which gained prominence during the 2019 Hong Kong protests for its ability to facilitate communication without internet connectivity, making it resistant to censorship. It presents a stark alternative to mainstream, centralized messaging services such as Meta's WhatsApp and Messenger.

Currently, Bitchat remains under review following its rapid beta saturation, with a technical white paper detailing its architecture available on GitHub. Future updates are expected to include support for Wi-Fi Direct, aiming to further enhance the app's speed and range. Dorsey's foray into Bitchat underscores a continued commitment to developing resilient, user-controlled communication tools for an increasingly interconnected, yet vulnerable, digital landscape.