Twitter co-founder and Bitcoin advocate Jack Dorsey has released Bitchat, a beta version of a decentralized messaging app designed to function without access to the internet. Built on Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh networking and the Nostr protocol, Bitchat is intended as a censorship-resistant tool for peer-to-peer communication in environments where traditional networks are unavailable, unreliable, or deliberately disrupted. While the project is still in early development, it has already drawn attention – and some criticism – from the decentralized tech community.
How does Bitchat work?
According to the whitepaper, Bitchat uses multi-hop Bluetooth relays to pass encrypted messages from device to device without the need for centralized servers or internet connectivity. It applies ephemeral, store-and-forward messaging logic: messages are temporarily cached on participating devices and relayed further when in range of new peers.
Each user’s device acts as both a client and a relay node. Bitchat encrypts messages using X25519 key exchange and AES-256-GCM, with room-based password protection derived via Argon2id. Messages are broken into small 500-byte fragments to fit within BLE transmission limits and are subject to a seven-hop maximum to control message propagation.
The protocol also uses Bloom filters to prevent duplicate packet retransmissions and includes battery-saving measures like longer advertising intervals (the frequency of broadcasting the device’s presence to other nearby devices). The whitepaper also outlines plans for future support of Wi-Fi and USB relays, as well as potential integration with existing Nostr clients.
Tim Zaman: “Gnarly issues left unaddressed” in Bitchat
While Bitchat’s release has drawn attention within tech and web3 communities, it hasn’t escaped criticism. OpenAI developer Tim Zaman flagged several key weaknesses in a post on X, such as:
- not having delivery acknowledgements,
- the lack of a good floodfill algorithm for crowded Bluetooth mesh networks,
- and hop constraints.
Without delivery acknowledgements, users may have no way of confirming that a message reached its destination – a flaw hard to accept in a messaging app. Also, in dense environments, like mass events, where many devices might be relaying data simultaneously, poor message routing (no efficient floodfill algorithm) could lead to congestion, delays, or outright message loss. Additionally, with a maximum of seven hops per message, the range remains limited even in optimal conditions.
Overall, Zaman commended the concept of leveraging BLE as an alternative for standard internet communication. In response, Dorsey acknowledged Zaman’s points, noting that ‟he started small,” and will look into the flagged issues in the future.
Bitchat: a new contender in web3 messaging?
Bitchat is a new entry in an already crowded and rapidly evolving space of decentralized communication platforms. Rivals like Status, Dmail, and XMTP offer end-to-end encrypted messaging on web3 infrastructure, but all require internet connectivity, typically operating over Ethereum, IPFS, or Dfinity protocols. Bitchat sets itself apart by fully bypassing the internet, operating instead on local wireless relays alone.
This design aligns with Dorsey’s vision of a censorship-resistant internet and his ongoing support of open-source Bitcoin-native protocols like Nostr (short for Notes and Other Stuff Transmitted by Relays) that allow users to publish and share content securely without relying on centralized servers or authorities.
Bitchat, with its unique approach to communication, is not a direct competitor to traditional web3 messengers in terms of features or user base yet. It complements the ecosystem by filling a niche for offline, censorship-resistant communication. However, its innovative approach could inspire new hybrid models combining Bluetooth mesh with internet-based protocols.
It’s also worth noting that the web3 messaging tools market is expanding fast, with a projected growth from around $1.26 billion in 2025 to over $22 billion by 2035 – mostly driven by increasing demand for privacy, decentralization, and blockchain integration.
Bitchat – real-world use cases
Bitchat’s potential shines brightest in high-risk or low-connectivity environments: protests, disaster zones, remote areas, and local events where internet access is either unavailable or surveilled. Its encryption and decentralized relay model make it difficult to censor or track – features that could make it attractive to activists, journalists, and Bitcoiners alike.
But those same users may also face frustration. Without message receipts, route optimization, or long-distance bridging, the system could struggle to scale beyond tightly clustered groups. Whether Dorsey can resolve these limitations before a full release remains to be seen.
