BitChat

BitChat
Screenshot
Developers	Jack Dorsey and Block, Inc.
Written in	Android: Kotlin iOS: Swift
Operating system	Android iOS
Standards	Bluetooth Mesh Nostr
Type	Instant messaging
License	Android: MIT License iOS: Unlicense (public domain)
Website	bitchat.free
Repository	github.com/permissionlesstech

Bitchat is a peer-to-peer encrypted messaging app developed by Jack Dorsey, co‑founder of Twitter (now X) and Block, Inc. Announced in July 2025, Bitchat enables users to send messages via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh networks without requiring internet connections, cellular service, user accounts, or central servers. Bitchat also uses the internet-based Nostr protocol for global reach.

Bitchat uses a hybrid peer-to-peer encrypted messaging architecture, with two complementary transport layers of Bluetooth mesh networking and Nostr for offline and internet communication. It operates local messaging over Bluetooth based on the Noise 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 #mesh channel, 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 use end-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 resembles IRC messaging systems.^[9]

Dorsey first announced Bitchat on X (formerly Twitter) on 6 July 2025.^[2][3] He published a white paper to his GitHub page detailing its decentralised architecture and encryption design.^[1][10][7] Furthermore, the app entered beta testing via TestFlight, 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 a work-in-progress, hadn't received an external security review, and might not meet its security goals.^[11]

Bitchat is designed for resilient communication when traditional networks are unavailable or compromised, for example during natural disasters or Internet blackouts.^[9][10] It also enables communication at large events such as music festivals without relying on Internet connectivity.^[1][3] The app addresses censorship and surveillance concerns and reflects predecessors like FireChat and Bridgefy, which were used by pro‑democracy protesters in Hong Kong.^[7][3][2]

The app saw significant use by protesters 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 during its 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] In April 2026, the Apple App Store took down BitChat in China at the request of the Cyberspace Administration of China.^[17]

• Bluetooth mesh networking
• Delay-tolerant networking
• Mesh networking
• Mobile ad hoc network
• Smartphone ad hoc network
• Briar (software)

• Official website
• Permissionlesstech on GitHub
• BitChatExplorer - real-time global activities of location channels
• BitChat on Google Play