MBABANE – Former Twitter boss Jack Dorsey has quietly launched a new messaging app called Bitchat, which allows users to send encrypted messages without using mobile data or internet.
The app uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh technology to link nearby devices and extend messaging across multiple users, even when there is no mobile signal or Wi-Fi connection. It was made available over the weekend and is already drawing interest for its promise of privacy and offline communication.
Dorsey, who left Twitter in 2021 and later sold the company to billionaire Elon Musk in a $44 billion deal, is now focusing on decentralised platforms through his company, Block. Bitchat is one of his latest moves in the push for secure, peer-to-peer digital tools.
According to a white paper uploaded to Dorsey’s GitHub profile, the app is intended for people living in areas with poor internet access, under surveillance, or during crisis situations such as blackouts or natural disasters.
Bitchat requires no account setup or servers. Users can also access group chats via password-protected channels, and its Panic Mode lets people wipe all data by triple-tapping the app logo.
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