You can send messages even without internet. Jack Dorsey, founder of X (Twitter), has made a new app called Bitchat. Its main selling point: even if the world goes offline, you can still chat with people around you.
So how does it work?
Bluetooth mesh networking: No Wi-Fi or mobile data needed. It uses low-energy Bluetooth to connect nearby phones into a “mesh network,” with every phone acting as a relay. It can theoretically cover 300 meters, and as long as there are enough people, messages can keep traveling.
Completely anonymous: No phone number, no email, not even an account to sign up for—and no central server.
Maximum security: Private chats are end-to-end encrypted, and when internet access is available, it automatically switches back to a decentralized network.
One-tap escape: Tap the logo three times in a row to instantly wipe all local data.
What is it useful for?
It’s designed for internet outages, natural disasters, extreme censorship, or large gatherings where the network gets overwhelmed. No cell towers are needed—as long as people are nearby, they can create a “local anonymous plaza.”
The app was actually open-sourced last year. Dorsey wrote all the code as a “weekend project.” It has a pattern: wherever the internet gets cut off, downloads surge. It previously took off in Nepal, Iran, and India, and the Indian government was even so alarmed that it demanded the app be removed.
One last thing
Recently, amid protests over the cost of living in France and a nationwide outage at carrier Orange, Bitchat shot to No. 1 on the French App Store’s social networking chart, overtaking both Telegram and Signal.
#Bitchat #Telegram #Signal
So how does it work?
Bluetooth mesh networking: No Wi-Fi or mobile data needed. It uses low-energy Bluetooth to connect nearby phones into a “mesh network,” with every phone acting as a relay. It can theoretically cover 300 meters, and as long as there are enough people, messages can keep traveling.
Completely anonymous: No phone number, no email, not even an account to sign up for—and no central server.
Maximum security: Private chats are end-to-end encrypted, and when internet access is available, it automatically switches back to a decentralized network.
One-tap escape: Tap the logo three times in a row to instantly wipe all local data.
What is it useful for?
It’s designed for internet outages, natural disasters, extreme censorship, or large gatherings where the network gets overwhelmed. No cell towers are needed—as long as people are nearby, they can create a “local anonymous plaza.”
The app was actually open-sourced last year. Dorsey wrote all the code as a “weekend project.” It has a pattern: wherever the internet gets cut off, downloads surge. It previously took off in Nepal, Iran, and India, and the Indian government was even so alarmed that it demanded the app be removed.
One last thing
Recently, amid protests over the cost of living in France and a nationwide outage at carrier Orange, Bitchat shot to No. 1 on the French App Store’s social networking chart, overtaking both Telegram and Signal.
#Bitchat #Telegram #Signal