A Bluetooth-powered WhatsApp alternative developed by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey has launched on Apple’s App Store.
The Bitchat app allows users to communicate even when there is no WiFi or cell service, however range is limited.
Bluetooth signal can typically reach around 100 metres, which can be extended through a mesh network that relays messages through other users in the vicinity.
The app was created in a single weekend, according to Mr Dorsey, who sought to create a messaging platform that was private, secure and fully decentralised.
Users do not need to share their email address or phone number in order to send messages to other users.
“Bitchat addresses the need for resilient, private communication that doesn’t depend on centralised infrastructure,” the app’s white paper states.
“By leveraging Bluetooth Low Energy mesh networking, Bitchat enables direct peer-to-peer messaging within physical proximity, with automatic message relay extending the effective range beyond direct Bluetooth connections.”
The innovative approach means it can prove useful in situations when conventional networks are overloaded, such as during festivals, sports matches or other crowded events.
Some users have also shared their experience using the app in places where there is no phone signal available.
Entrepreneur Dimitrios Paolo said he used Bitchat to chat with his brother while sat on opposite ends of a plane.
brief update: flight was great; was a normal airbus a320neo (approx 37.5m in length). my brother chose to sit at the very front, i went for the tail. we both hopped onto bitchat, immediately found each other via bluetooth & started texting. messaging was smooth, no issues of any…
— Dimitrios Paolo (@dimitriospaolo) July 29, 2025
Mr Dorsey said the app’s architecture means it is not vulnerable to state internet restrictions, offering a censorship-resistant platform during demonstrations or protests.
“Decentralised networks offer a future where privacy is an architectural guarantee,” Jarrad Hope, founder of decentralised technology platform Logos Network, told The Independent.
“If human rights fail to extend meaningfully into digital spaces, and internet infrastructure becomes a tool of government and corporate surveillance, then alternatives like Bitchat’s Bluetooth mesh network offer the essential infrastructure for guaranteed privacy, independent of corporate promises or regulatory goodwill.”
