What You Should Know About the New, Free Messaging App Bitchat

CNET

3 days ago

On July 28, Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey released a free, new open-source messaging app in Apple's App Store called Bitchat Mesh, or Bitchat. Dorsey unveiled the new app on X, formerly Twitter, in early July, calling it his "weekend project".
If you download Bitchat and think you'll see a polished messaging app with access to all your contacts, including your friends and family, you're sorely mistaken. Bitchat has a simplified design and it relies on Bluetooth for message data transmission. While it's open-source, meaning anyone can inspect the source code for vulnerabilities, until the app receives a third-party audit, you should be cautious of its security.
Here's everything you should know about Bitchat before you download the messaging app.
How do I connect with people?
Bitchat doesn't use your contacts, phone numbers or even other traditional means of connecting with people -- there's no internet connection, Wi-Fi or cellular data needed. Instead, the app relies on a Bluetooth mesh network to work. That means you create a network by connecting to other devices within your range, and those devices connect to other devices that are within their range, thus extending your own reach.
"Bitchat creates ad-hoc communication networks using only the devices present in physical proximity," the app's site says. "Each device acts as both client and server, automatically discovering peers and relaying messages across multiple hops to extend the network's reach."
So the more people who have and use the app, the larger the network could be, giving Bitchat a longer range than most traditional Bluetooth signals. But it's similar to a mesh router system in that you can only communicate with other folks who are part of the same network. So you can't message someone on a different continent but if enough users are connected you might be able to message someone miles away.
"Aaron" is the name I gave a Bitchat account on another device at my home.
Bitchat/Screenshot by CNET
Even then, you don't really connect with people like we normally think about -- you don't send people invitations to connect. Instead, when you open the app, you see a number in the top right corner of your screen that shows you how many people are in your network. For me, that number is one -- but it's another one of my devices, so really it's zero. Granted, I tested Bitchat from the comfort of my home and I'd hope there's nobody unexpected here, using Bitchat or otherwise.
If you tap this number, a menu expands from the right side of your screen showing who is connected. You can tap a person's name in this menu and send them a private message away from the main chat.
When others are in your network, you can send a message in the main chat and they can view it but that message is going to everyone in the network. If you want a conversation with just one other person it's best to start a private chat.
When someone enters your network, the app can send you a notification to let you know you can chat with them.
For now, Bitchat could be a good way to stay in touch with people at a music festival, party or other large group setting. But if enough people use the app, its network could extend much further, and you could use it effectively in more situations.
Does Bitchat have any other messaging features?
Bitchat is pretty bare-bones in terms of features but there are a few things you can do besides send messages.
If you tap a person's name, you get the option to send them a private message, block them or give them a hug or slap. Sending a private message and blocking someone are pretty self-explanatory. Sending a hug and slapping someone are kind of like pokes from Facebook. They don't really do anything except generate a message in the chat that you hugged or slapped someone -- and if you slap someone, the message says you slapped them around a bit with a trout.
Anything but the large trout!
Bitchat/Screenshot by CNET
As soon as you screenshot any message, an in-chat notification announces what you did, which is helpful for transparency. You can tell if someone has used their device to screenshot your conversation.
Otherwise, Bitchat is a simple, no-frills messaging app.
How secure is the app?
Bitchat is open-source, so anyone can inspect the app's code for vulnerabilities and other issues. Already, at least one user reported a vulnerability, which Dorsey addressed. Security researcher Alex Radocea raised the issue of authentication within the app in a July blog post. Dorsey responded to the post and implemented the Noise Protocol Framework. According to Dorsey's white paper, this framework provides people with what the paper's abstract calls end-to-end encrypted "secure, private, and censorship-resistant communication".
However, Dorsey posted a security warning for the app on GitHub. "This software has not received external security review and may contain vulnerabilities and does not necessarily meet its stated security goals," Dorsey wrote. "Do not use it for production use, and do not rely on its security whatsoever until it has been reviewed."
While Bitchat is open-source, a security audit by a reputable third party would provide some peace of mind. Messaging apps require you to trust that the app is keeping your messaging data secure and while a third-party security audit isn't foolproof, it's an important trust and transparency signal. Until then, you should be cautious about how secure the app really is.
Overall, this messaging app could be used to keep in touch with others nearby, but just be aware that it still needs a third-party review to determine how secure it is.
For more on privacy and security, check out the best encrypted messaging apps and learn about the best VPN services.