Jack Dorsey is the co-founder of Twitter but he often starts new platforms like Bitchat to build hype and try out new features.
WhatsApp is getting a new secure messaging rival and it doesn’t even run on the internet. Yes, you read that right. Jack Dorsey, co-founder of Twitter (now called X), has developed a new app as a part of his ‘weekend project’ which works through Bluetooth and is claimed to offer high-tech encryption.
Secure messaging apps are available in numbers as you can count WhatsApp, Telegram and Signal being some of them. But Dorsey’s app called Bitchat* is promising something more advanced, reliable but equally secure.
Jack Dorsey’s Bitchat: How It Differs From WhatsApp?
Bitchat from Dorsey is making use of the mesh network via Bluetooth to transmit the messages. It offers features like offline communication for chats that are secure behind high-level encryption and can be relayed as far as 300 meters which is intriguing because Bluetooth has a limitation of up to 100 metres.
You can add mentions (the Twitter imprint), create rooms based on topics to chat with people and even store the messages as favourites. Dorsey has even uploaded the TestFlight version for Apple users and to the GitHub repository as well. The Apple beta version is already closed, which shows the hype and popularity of Dorsey and any new product he talks about.
Having a no-internet service and running through a Bluetooth mesh network means you don’t have to worry about privacy as no data can be collected on any server. WhatsApp, now part of Meta, is coming out with ads, Channels and slowly becoming another version of Instagram but with encryption for chats. Bitchat will definitely be a much needed addition and option for the users.
Dorsey has kept himself busy after leaving Twitter. He started Bluesky which is another microblogging platform like his earlier product. He even dabbles in the bitcoin space and is a big advocate for a decentralised tech, which is where an app like Bitchat easily fits into the equation.
It is still early days with Bitchat and Dorsey has to figure out how the Bluetooth mesh network will enable more users to connect and build the ecosystem. Is it a threat to giants like WhatsApp with billions of daily active users, not yet but more alternatives, are always welcome.
