Today, virtually every messaging app relies on the internet. All of them require mobile data or Wi‑Fi to function whether it be WhatsApp, Signal, or Telegram. But Twitter co‑founder Jack Dorsey has created something totally different. His new app, Bitchat, enables people to send messages without connecting at all to the internet. Instead of being dependent on central servers or mobile networks, it provides direct message transmission at a small distance from one phone to the other by using nearby connections to devices, such as Bluetooth. This is not a new product for fast internet speed, this is a version with the internet taken away completely but its users still have access to the network.
Bitchat works through a peer‑to‑peer network connecting the devices. When two phones are adjacent to one another, the app sends encrypted messages on Bluetooth or some other technology. This is because even when the internet is down or if people are without mobile internet, they can still talk to others. Messages are saved specifically to your device and are temporary messages meaning you can be somewhat protected and there is less likelihood to be tracked or spied on. Bitchat does not need accounts or phone numbers or servers like traditional messaging apps. It is decentralized, private, and strong.
The app will be especially helpful, such as when there’s poor internet access or when there’s a system that’s intentionally closed down. Especially during internet cuts, protests or emergencies, people have difficulty staying in touch. Bitchat provides a solution to this by avoiding any traditional webbing networks and enabling direct communication. That makes it an attractive tool for activists, journalists and everyday people who just want to keep their conversation open and communicate via the internet or not.
Countries where internet shutdowns have come a few weeks in the recent months have also started to pay attention to Bitchat. In Iran, downloads of the app tripled in recent blackouts, as people sought ways to stay connected. In Uganda, opposition officials coaxed people into installing the app before elections for fear of a new government‑imposed blackout. Those practices illustrate the idea that Bitchat is more than a tech experiment, it’s becoming the lifeline of communities grappling with censorship or crises.
Privacy is among Bitchat’s strongest offerings. Messages are encrypted and vanish after sending; they are ephemeral. Without servers or centralized systems, there isn’t a single point of control or surveillance. That independence makes Bitchat appealing to secure communicators. It also reduces the risk that data that businesses, from large corporations to governments, will collect or misuse.
The possibility of using Bitchat goes beyond demonstrations and shutdowns. For emergencies, like natural disasters, when networks fail, the app can assist people in coordinating rescue efforts. Communities in isolated areas with inadequate network power can also use it for some brief messages to communicate with each other. Outside of the US, travelers in other countries without networks without roaming data can still send messages to and from their close friends. When the network is overloaded, Bitchat can provide another viable backup, even in city environments.
The app, of course, also faces challenges. Bluetooth has a limited range, so it is the most effective mode of communication when devices are nearby. To expand the reach to larger groups or farther distances, the app may need to incorporate Wi‑Fi Direct or mesh networking. Another hurdle is adoption. People must download and actively use the app to be effective. Governments could also try to limit or prevent its implementation in societies where monitoring communication is a political strategy. But, being decentralized, it’s far harder to block than classic apps.
Jack Dorsey’s Bitchat is a vivid reminder that innovation isn’t always about faster internet or larger networks. Sometimes it’s about taking the internet offline and making room for human beings to connect again. With messages circulating directly from phone to phone, Bitchat also provides privacy, resilience and independence from power structures. Bitchat is freedom in an era when communication is more often than not controlled or interrupted. It is not so much another messaging app as a beacon of innovation though that isn’t necessarily the point. But it is, of course, a marker of how technology can develop to be more humane and empowering for people after the internet can be taken away.
