Jack Dorsey introduced a messaging service that works via Bluetooth and does not require the Internet
Twitter (now X) co-founder Jack Dorsey has unveiled the beta version of Bitchat, a new decentralized P2P messaging service that works over Bluetooth and does not require the internet, mobile numbers, or servers.
In an announcement made at X, Dorsey wrote that he spent the weekend learning more about Bluetooth mesh networks, message encryption, and more. The result was BitChat, details of which he released on GitHub and TestFlight.
Key features of this solution include a decentralized mesh network that provides automatic peer-to-peer discovery and multipath message relaying via Bluetooth Low Energy. The messages themselves are encrypted using X25519 key exchange and AEAD block cipher.
Additionally, BitChat allows you to store and forward messages through caching for offline users, ensuring that messages are delivered when users reconnect.
Currently, BitChat uses room-based chats and has support for IRC-style commands like /join, /msg, /who, etc.