Jack Dorsey challenges WhatsApp with Bitchat, the offline chat that talks via Bluetooth

Dorsey described the project as 'IRC vibes', evoking the raw and direct charm of the first text chats of the 1990s. But behind this aesthetic choice lies a very current vision: to give users back control of their communications in an era when large centralised platforms, from WhatsApp to Telegram, manage the entire information flow and collect huge amounts of data. Bitchat eliminates all forms of permanent identification: no profiling, no tracking, no advertising. Moreover, the system is designed to be volatile: messages are automatically deleted after 12 hours, and the app also integrates a quick delete function, a triple tap that deletes everything instantly.

What good is a chat room without internet?

The applications are more serious than they may seem. A chat such as Bitchat could prove useful in emergency scenarios, such as blackouts, natural disasters or demonstrations in contexts of government censorship. In these cases, a local, independent network can become a valuable tool for communicating without passing through controlled infrastructures.

In dense urban environments - such as festivals, events, university campuses - the mesh system could achieve amazing coverage. Admittedly, the range of Bluetooth is limited (up to about 100 metres in an open field), but with a network of active users, much greater distances could be covered thanks to message relay.

The limits (for now) and future prospects

Being still in the experimental phase, Bitchat has several limitations. The app is only available on iOS (via TestFlight, which allows developers to have beta versions of their apps tested before they are published in the App Store), it supports a limited number of beta users, and the mesh network only works if there is a sufficient density of active devices. Moreover, the absence of an Internet connection results in a slower and more fragmented experience, at least by modern app standards.

But Dorsey does not seem to want to compete with WhatsApp or Signal on the same ground as them. The goal for Dorsey is not to dominate the messaging market, but to propose a radical - and open source - alternative based on protocols and not platforms, as his mantra goes. To date, Dorsey's goals are still unknown, whether to turn Bitchat into a commercial product, or to continue on the path of open source, away from the commercial schemes of the web. In the meantime, the Android version is expected to be released in the coming months and, perhaps, integration with Wi-Fi networks to further extend its reach.