| Bitchat | |
|---|---|
 | |
Screenshot  | |
| Developers | Jack Dorsey andBlock, Inc. |
| Written in | |
| Operating system | |
| Standards | |
| Type | Instant messaging |
| License |
|
| Website | bitchat |
| Repository | github |
Bitchat is apeer-to-peerencrypted messaging app developed byJack Dorsey, co‑founder ofTwitter (now X) andBlock, Inc. Announced in July 2025, Bitchat enables users to send messages viaBluetooth Low Energy (BLE)mesh networks without requiringinternet connections,cellular service,user accounts, orcentral servers. Bitchat also uses the internet-basedNostr protocol for global reach.
Bitchat uses a hybridpeer-to-peerencrypted messaging architecture, with two complementary transport layers ofBluetooth mesh networking andNostr for offline and internet communication. It operates local messaging over Bluetooth based on theNoise Protocol Framework,[1][2][3][4][5] enabling nearby devices to relay messages without requiring internet connectivity.[6][2][7] Users can chat on the local#meshchannel, and since version 1.3.0,Geohash-based location channels are available via Nostr, allowing online users to chat with nearby or global people.[8] Direct messages to other users useend-to-end encryption, with Bluetooth preferred first and Nostr being the fallback routing when Bluetooth is unavailable. Furthermore, the app features a panic mode that erases all stored data upon three taps of the logo.[7] Jack Dorsey has said the app resemblesIRC messaging systems.[9]
Dorsey first announced Bitchat onX (formerly Twitter) on 6 July 2025.[2][3] He published awhite paper to hisGitHub page detailing itsdecentralised architecture andencryption design.[1][10][7] Furthermore, the app enteredbeta testing viaTestFlight, quickly reaching its 10,000‑user limit.[2][3][1] Shortly after the app's testing release on TestFlight, a security researcher found it was possible to impersonate another user and communicate with that user's contacts while appearing as them to that user. Dorsey later added to the Bitchat project page, saying it was awork-in-progress, hadn't received an external security review, and might not meet its security goals.[11]
Bitchat is designed forresilient communication when traditional networks are unavailable or compromised, for example duringnatural disasters orInternet blackouts.[9][10] It also enables communication at large events such asmusic festivals without relying onInternet connectivity.[1][3] The app addressescensorship andsurveillance concerns and reflects predecessors likeFireChat andBridgefy, which were used bypro‑democracy protesters in Hong Kong.[7][3][2]
The app saw significant use byprotesters in Madagascar in September 2025, with the company reporting 70 thousand downloads within the course of one week from the country,[12] compared to around 360 thousand total worldwide downloads the company had reported by late September.[13] Similar patterns occurred in Nepal duringits protests the same month, with nearly 50,000 downloads from Nepalese users on 8 September 2025 alone.[14][15] In January 2026, there were reports of a rise in downloads of Bitchat in both Uganda and Iran during internet blackouts.[16]
