Bitchat

lastmod 2025-07-09created 2025-07-092 edits

Decentralized messaging app using a Bluetooth mesh network

About

A secure, decentralized, IRC-style P2P messaging app that runs over a Bluetooth mesh network without internet, servers, or phone numbers
Privacy-centric design with E2E encryption, channel-based group chat, offline message store-and-forward, cover traffic, and more
Devices connect to each other automatically and relay messages on their own, without accounts, phone numbers, or servers
Provides a simple yet powerful channel and user management experience with IRC-style commands and an intuitive UI
Natively supported on iOS and macOS, with a protocol designed with Android compatibility in mind
Bitchat is an open-source project for secure, decentralized P2P chat that runs solely over a Bluetooth LE mesh network without internet, servers, or phone numbers
This app is the simplest and safest alternative for communicating in offline environments, disaster situations, places without network access, and so on

Fully decentralized mesh network: automatic peer discovery and multi-hop mesh relay based on Bluetooth LE
End-to-end encryption: X25519 key exchange + AES-256-GCM, with privacy strengthened through digital signatures (Ed25519) and per-session key rotation
Channel-based chat: topic-centered group chat, password protection option, owner-controlled message retention
Store & forward: message caching for offline peers and automatic delivery on reconnection
Privacy first: no accounts, phone numbers, or persistent identifiers; all data is stored only in device memory by default
IRC-style commands: supports familiar commands such as /join, /msg, /who, enabling quick channel switching and user management
Message retention: channel owners can optionally enable per-channel message storage
Universal app: native support for iOS and macOS
Cover traffic: timing obfuscation with random delays, and dummy messages to prevent network analysis
Emergency wipe: triple-tap the logo to instantly delete all data
Performance optimization: LZ4 compression, adaptive battery/network modes, Bloom filter-based duplicate detection, and more efficient networking

Launch the app, set a nickname, and it automatically connects to nearby peers; create and join channels instantly with commands such as /j #channel
Various chat features such as setting a channel password (/pass), saving messages (/save), transferring ownership (/transfer), and mentions (@nickname)
Automatic support for sending and re-delivering messages even while offline

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