Jack Dorsey has launched Bitchat, a messaging app that embraces open technologies and decentralized communication. Unlike conventional messaging platforms, Bitchat operates entirely over Bluetooth, without relying on internet access, Wi-Fi, cellular service, or centralized servers. It’s built to function peer-to-peer, enabling private, device-to-device communication through mesh networking.
Dorsey describes the app as an experiment in foundational open tech components, such as “Bluetooth mesh networks, relays and store and forward models, message encryption models and a few other things.” These concepts lie at the heart of distributed communication systems that resist centralized control. Every device using Bitchat acts as a node, forwarding encrypted messages and contributing to a broader, self-sustaining network without any single point of failure.
Bitchat underscores the potential of open, resilient technologies to provide connectivity in restrictive or offline environments. Messages are stored only locally and disappear by default, ensuring that communication remains private and independent. While similar tools have surfaced in protest movements and decentralized tech circles, Bitchat puts these open principles into the hands of everyday users—offering a glimpse into a future where messaging platforms operate beyond the reach of centralized infrastructure.