In the midst of the chaos in Nepal triggered by a sweeping ban on social media, Bitchat an app that uses Bluetooth meshes, the Nostr protocol and emulates the peer-to-peer nature of Bitcoin, reported a sharp increase in downloads, thanks to its capabilities that works without Internet connection. Bitchat was initially introduced as a “weekend project” by Jack Dorsey, the founder of X and Cash App, who developed the iOS version. The Android version was built by pseudonymous open-source developer “Calle”, who expanded its capabilities. Bitchat is a decentralized peer-to-peer messaging app that runs over Bluetooth mesh networks with a hyper-local focus. Most importantly, it requires no names, phone numbers, servers, or even an Internet connection. As the Nepali population prepared for a possible nationwide internet blackout following the social media ban, users began recommending Bitchat across platforms like Reddit. Among the various alternatives circulating online, Bitchat stood out as a promising offline solution. According to Calle on X, the app saw over 48,000 downloads just on September 8 from Nepal, representing more than 38% of its total installs to that date. “In the worst case, it could be the only method for communication that’s still available,” Calle explained, referring to the app’s ability to operate independently of traditional Internet infrastructure. Unlike mainstream chat platforms that depend on servers or centralized networks, Bitchat’s hyper-local-Bluetooth mesh approach becomes crucial when those services are either blocked or surveilled. By combining Bitcoin’s censorship resistance with Bitchat’s communication infrastructure, the project not only offers a reliable tool for people in times of unrest, it could also unlock a new wave of private and secure commerce for the 21st century.