Twitter co founder Jack Dorsey has launched Bitchat, a new messaging app that operates without the need for WiFi or cellular service. The app is designed for situations where connectivity is patchy or restricted, such as at music festivals or during protests, by using a phone’s Bluetooth signal to send messages.
Bitchat overcomes the typical 100 meter range of Bluetooth by using a mesh network, which relays messages through other nearby users to extend its effective range to over 300 meters. According to the app’s white paper, the service is completely decentralized and encrypted. It does not require a user’s email address, phone number, or an account to operate, and because it uses no centralized servers, there is no tracking or data collection.
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Key features include messages that disappear by default and optional group chats referred to as “rooms.” The peer to peer nature of the app aligns with other censorship resistant technology projects Dorsey has focused on since leaving Twitter.
A beta version of the app launched on Apple’s TestFlight service on Monday and was instantly filled by 10,000 users, showing strong early interest. Future updates could allow for even faster and longer range communication through WiFi networks.
