Bitchat – A decentralized messaging app that works over Bluetooth mesh networks

Post by vips7L » Mon, Jul 07, 2025, 4:30 PM UTC

ajr0 wrote: post #3

ChrisMarshallNY wrote: post #2

Looks pretty interesting. From what I can see, it's a native IOS/MacOS app (SwiftUI). I don't see an Android version. Also seems pretty spartan, but it looks like it could be embedded in "friendlier" apps.

I find this interesting, there was a briar app that was spoken about a few months ago that was only for android citing that iOS had issues [0] with apps running in background, wonder if/how this was solved here. Also, I have not seen unlicense before -- guess I'm one of todays lucky 10,000 [0] https://code.briarproject.org/briar/briar/-/wikis/FAQ#will-t...

Post by al_borland » Mon, Jul 07, 2025, 4:58 PM UTC

teiferer wrote: post #230

al_borland wrote: post #183

Earlier quoted context omitted.

But it would only really work well in a small area, such as a couple friends communicating at a demonstration, where there are a lot of people who may be motivated to participate in a particular area. If there is a low density area between two people, a message could take a long time to show up. A message from NYC to LA is effectively relying on the messaging being cached on a phone in NYC, that person flying to LA,…

Though demonstration organizers could run around with QR codes making it easy for everybody to install the right app to communicate with each other during the demonstration. As long as people can side-load things on their phones, this should be possible without any way to stop it unless you deploy radio jammers. (Which is then the logical next step for police equipment in so minded states.)

Post by marto1 » Mon, Jul 07, 2025, 5:01 PM UTC

moneywaters wrote: post #96

I’ve been toying with a concept inspired by Apple’s Find My network: Imagine a decentralized, delay-tolerant messaging system where messages hop device-to-device (e.g., via Bluetooth, UWB, Wi-Fi Direct), similar to how “Find My” relays location via nearby iPhones. Now add a twist: • Senders pay a small fee to send a message. • Relaying devices earn a micro-payment (could be tokens, sats, etc.) for carrying the messag…

Post by beefnugs » Mon, Jul 07, 2025, 5:28 PM UTC

clarkmoody wrote: post #250

bee_rider wrote: post #236

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How would the payment work? You pass along a message, and get a token in return. Then, some options: 1) the message never makes it through 2) the message makes it through, via your path 3) the message makes it through, but via some other path, and yours is really a dead end Also, how would you handle the case where multiple peers all get the message and send it through the same bottleneck node? I guess you’d want to…

Bitcoin Lightning Network solves the routing payment problem via a series of cascading unlocks of value across the route. Nodes can change their fee policy independent of the network, so the bottleneck node could make more money in your scenario. Then those high fees attract additional nodes to provide liquidity along that route, bringing fee competition.

Post by thenthenthen » Mon, Jul 07, 2025, 5:44 PM UTC

xyzzy123 wrote: post #129

Dr4kn wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If your country shuts off Internet access for demonstrations this would work great.

I guess it depends on the authoritarian government, but a sufficiently powerful one will get the app taken down or get the bluetooth features it relies on disabled (like for airdrop in China) :/ I would say that the underlying issue is that people do not really "own" their devices and the corporations that do are vulnerable to (or complicit in) state coercion. You cannot truly have freedom on a non-free device, you c…