FAQ from Bitchat
What is Bitchat?
Bitchat is a decentralized, infrastructure-free messaging protocol that operates exclusively over Bluetooth LE mesh networks. It enables spontaneous, encrypted group and private conversations without internet, servers, or identity requirements—designed for resilience, privacy, and accessibility.
How to use Bitchat?
Install the app, pick a nickname, and begin interacting immediately. Use /j #channel to join, /msg @user for private notes, /pass to secure channels, and /block to manage trust. All routing, encryption, and discovery happen transparently in the background—no configuration needed.
What is Bitchat and who created it?
Bitchat is an open, public-domain protocol developed by Permissionless Tech—a collective focused on infrastructure-resilient communication tools. While inspired by principles championed by figures like Jack Dorsey, it is a community-owned, non-commercial initiative released without proprietary constraints.
How does Bitchat’s mesh network work?
Each device advertises its presence and listens for others using BLE advertising packets. Messages are serialized into compact binary frames, tagged with hop count (TTL ≤ 7), signed, and forwarded only once per node—preventing loops and ensuring delivery efficiency. Topology adapts dynamically as peers enter or leave range.
What are Bitchat’s security features?
Every message layer is cryptographically protected: X25519 ECDH for session keys, AES-256-GCM for confidentiality and integrity, Ed25519 for authentication, Argon2id for channel password derivation, and ephemeral key rotation for forward secrecy. Optional cover traffic further masks activity patterns.
How can I download and install Bitchat?
iOS users can download directly from the official site (iOS 16.0+); Android users install the signed APK (v1.1.6). macOS support is available via native builds (macOS 13.0+). All binaries are reproducible and verifiable against the public GitHub source.
How does Bitchat optimize battery usage?
Through intelligent power tiering: scanning frequency, advertisement duty cycle, and message processing intensity scale automatically based on remaining battery and user activity. In Ultra-Low mode, Bitchat maintains mesh presence with sub-1% hourly drain—ideal for emergency standby.
What makes Bitchat’s protocol efficient?
A lean binary wire format (1-byte opcodes, variable-length fields), LZ4 compression, bloom-filter duplicate suppression, message aggregation, and adaptive connection throttling collectively minimize BLE airtime and CPU overhead—critical for constrained edge devices.
How does message storage work in Bitchat?
By design, messages reside only in volatile memory—erased on app exit or device reboot. Channel owners may opt into persistent storage using /save on, which encrypts and caches messages locally until manually cleared or wiped via emergency protocol.
What are Bitchat’s main use cases?
From wildfire response teams coordinating without cell towers, to journalists reporting from censored zones, to students sharing notes across campus buildings—Bitchat empowers communication wherever connectivity fails or surveillance threatens.
Is Bitchat open source and what’s the license?
Yes—100% open, auditable, and released into the public domain (CC0). Anyone may use, modify, fork, or embed Bitchat’s protocol without restriction, attribution, or liability—accelerating adoption across humanitarian, defense, and civic tech domains.
What’s Bitchat’s current development status?
Public local chat is production-ready and widely tested. Private messaging and channel administration are fully implemented but undergoing independent cryptanalysis. Future milestones include hardware SDKs, LoRaWAN bridge support, and formal FIPS-aligned validation.