“Bitchat” is a Bluetooth-based messaging app launched by Jack Dorsey, enabling encrypted peer-to-peer communication within 300 meters without internet, drawing from his Bitcoin advocacy and a 2017 Bluetooth Mesh standard that supports such networks.
Early user tests, including a claimed Bitcoin transfer, align with Bitchat’s design to operate offline, potentially revolutionizing communication in disaster zones or censored regions, though no peer-reviewed studies yet confirm the payment feature’s functionality.
Dorsey’s project challenges centralized tech dominance, echoing his past with Twitter, and leverages Bluetooth Mesh’s flood network principle—where messages hop between devices—tested by 10,000 users, though its scalability remains unproven beyond theoretical limits.
