Jack Dorsey’s New App Lets You Chat Without Wi-Fi. No, Really. Even During Protests!

Well, well, well… if it isn’t Jack Dorsey, the guy who helped create Twitter (RIP, Twitter, or should I say X?) dropping another bombshell: the beta version of BitChat. This is a decentralized messaging app that works without internet access. No, you’re not dreaming. No Wi-Fi? No problem. 🙄

Launched on July 7 (right when you’re trying to figure out if your weekend is still “vacation” or just “trying to survive”), BitChat is powered by Bluetooth Low Energy mesh networks. This means your devices can send messages to each other like a little Bluetooth-powered gossip chain—no servers, no cell towers. It’s like your phone’s Bluetooth is hosting a private party, and everyone’s invited. 🥳

The app is ideal for those moments when you *really* need to message someone but can’t trust your internet connection, like during protests, censorship-filled countries, or, you know, when a natural disaster has wiped out all communication (because that happens all the time, right?). According to Dorsey, BitChat was just a weekend project to dabble in message relays, encryption, and Bluetooth magic. Casual. 🧙‍♂️

my weekend project to learn about bluetooth mesh networks, relays and store and forward models, message encryption models, and a few other things.

bitchat: bluetooth mesh chat…IRC vibes.

TestFlight:
GitHub:

— jack (@jack) July 6, 2025

Here’s the kicker: BitChat messages aren’t like your ex’s texts—they’re transient. Poof! Gone after delivery or a set amount of time. Bye-bye, digital footprints! This keeps things nice and private, so you can avoid those awkward “I didn’t mean to send that” moments (though it’s still a good idea to double-check before hitting send 😉).

Speaking of privacy, BitChat employs modern encryption standards because we all know Dorsey is big on keeping things secret. He’s using X25519 encryption to swap keys safely between devices, ensuring no one (except the recipient) can read your juicy messages. Oh, and for extra privacy, AES-256-GCM encryption is thrown in to lock up your messages faster than you can say “privacy-first philosophy.”

Group chats? Oh, they can be password-protected, too. Keys are generated using Argon2id to prevent the classic “let’s guess your password” fiasco. No one’s getting into your chat room unless you let them. 🏰

But wait, there’s more! Even when your device is offline, BitChat has a “store and forward” system. This means messages get stored until you reconnect, then delivered with the reliability of a pizza delivery (minus the cold crust). 🍕

If you’re curious and a fan of playing with shiny new toys, BitChat is open-source on GitHub and available in beta on Apple’s TestFlight. But don’t get too excited—Dorsey reminds us it’s still experimental. His dream? A decentralized, censorship-resistant, secure messaging system that laughs in the face of tech giants. 😂

This announcement is just the latest in Dorsey’s long love affair with decentralized platforms. After leaving Bluesky’s board in 2024, he seems pretty determined to make this whole “peer-to-peer communication” thing a reality. No centralized control, just good ol’ freedom. Can’t wait to see where this goes.

Read More

2025-07-07 10:22