Jack Dorsey Announces Bitchat, a Decentralised Messaging App Which Does Not Require Phone Numbers

Jack Dorsey has announced a new decentralised messaging app called Bitchat. It is a peer-to-peer public domain messaging project which operates over Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh networks. Bitchat is said to offer a more secure method of messaging, protected with end-to-end encryption. The app does not require internet, an account, or even a phone number to function, the X (formerly Twitter) co-founder said. Other features include a favourites system, mentions, and rooms for topic-based conversations.

Bitchat Features

In a post on X, Jack Dorsey introduced the new decentralised messaging app as a “weekend project”, whereas a whitepaper published on GitHub provides more details about its operation. The app is currently available in beta via Apple's TestFlight programme, although the slots were taken up soon after it was announced.

Bitchat is said to leverage BLE mesh networking which enables direct peer-to-peer messaging within physical proximity. It has a range of approximately 30 metres within which, each device serves as both a central (client) and peripheral (server). This enables multi-hop message delivery.

Since it does not rely on the internet to work, it is not prone to censorship or network outages, as per Dorsey.

The messaging app is advertised as a decentralised platform, which means it does not have a single point of control, no server, and thus, no infrastructure dependencies. Further, messages sent over the app are ephemeral and only exist in the device memory by default. The app offers automatic caching when the recipient is unreachable, with the messages getting delivered when the peer returns.

There is also a tiered retention feature in Bitchat. This means regular messages have a 12-hour life, whereas those marked as favourites are retained indefinitely. It also offers end-to-end encryption, protected by Curve25519 elliptic curve and AES-GCM authenticated encryption algorithm as part of a multi-layered encryption setup.

Most notably, the messaging platform does not require any phone numbers, emails, or permanent identifiers to work, as per Dorsey.

Bitchat comes with features similar to other messaging apps such as mentions, which allows a user to notify another particular individual about a new message. Meanwhile, they can create rooms for topic-based conversations, like channels within Discord. These can also be protected with passwords for more security.