Social
Jack Dorsey is working on a Bluetooth messaging app, Bitchat
Dorsey says Bitchat can work up to 300 meters by bouncing messages through other users nearby.
Just a heads up, if you buy something through our links, we may get a small share of the sale. It’s one of the ways we keep the lights on here. Click here for more.
Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of X (Twitter) and current CEO of Block (Square), spent a recent weekend creating a new app called Bitchat.
The name is a mix of “bit” and “chat,” and the app is designed for messaging without needing the internet or cell service.
Bitchat uses Bluetooth mesh networking, which means it connects directly to nearby devices to send messages.
Normally, Bluetooth only works within about 100 meters (about 328 feet). But Dorsey says Bitchat can go even farther, up to 300 meters (about 984 feet), by bouncing messages through other users nearby.
So, if you and a few friends are spread out, the app can pass the message along to each person, like a digital relay race.
This kind of messaging is helpful in places where regular phone service or Wi-Fi doesn’t work well, like at a crowded music festival or during emergencies.
Apps like Bridgefy, which also use Bluetooth-based messaging, have even been used during protests where governments may try to shut down internet access.
These apps are harder to monitor because they don’t rely on traditional networks.
Bitchat and Bridgefy both say they use end-to-end encryption, meaning messages are secure and can only be read by the sender and receiver.
Interestingly, Bridgefy is backed by Biz Stone, another X (Twitter) co-founder, so it’s a small world of tech entrepreneurs developing similar ideas.
Dorsey’s move into this space fits with his larger interest in decentralized technology, systems that don’t rely on a single company or authority.
He’s a well-known supporter of Bitcoin, a decentralized currency, and he also helped start Bluesky, a decentralized social media platform (though he’s no longer involved with it).
Dorsey released Bitchat to beta testers through Apple’s TestFlight platform, and it quickly reached the 10,000-user limit.
He’s waiting on Apple’s final approval before the app can be made available more widely.
For now, it’s a small project, but one that lines up with Dorsey’s vision of private, open, and internet-free communication.
Do you think this will be a success like Twitter? Or are we looking at another failed messaging app? Tell us below in the comments, or via our Twitter or Facebook.
Follow us on Flipboard, Google News, or Apple News
