Jack Dorsey is busy learning new skills, with two recent app launches appearing on TestFlight. One of these, Bitchat, has made the jump from test environment to the full-on App Store, making it available for loads of Apple users.
The app has undergone a slight name change, perhaps because of how its title could be interpreted. Now known as Bitchat Mesh, the app can be downloaded for iPhones, Macs, and iPads, with installation even possible on the Apple Vision Pro.
Bitchat work
As for why you might download the app, that was clearly spelt out during Dorsey’s TestFlight phase. Bitchat is a peer-to-peer messaging app that functions without internet access. Messages are relayed between devices, making use of “Bluetooth mesh networks, relays…and forward models, message encryption models and a few other things,” said Dorsey.
The prime reason for using it, beyond eschewing internet access, is the app’s ability to send anonymous messages without an email address or phone number involved in the transaction. Messaging friends lost in a festival is a possible use that sidesteps network congestion and, best of all, doesn’t cost money. Of course, if you own an iPhone, you probably don’t have that problem.
Messages are encrypted, and there’s even a Panic Mode option, where a triple-tap on the app deletes all of your Bitchat data. Handy if you’re evading the cops, oppressive governments, or a suspicious significant other, we suppose.
Dorsey’s fully available messaging app can be downloaded via Apple’s App Store now.
