Bitchat, which lets users exchange messages without the internet or mobile networks, has rapidly gained traction in France. As nationwide protests, controversy over social media blocks and a major telecom outage converge, messengers that do not rely on carriers are drawing attention.

Coinpost, a Japanese outlet, reported on Oct. 27 that Bitchat, introduced by X co-founder Jack Dorsey, topped the download rankings in the social networking category on France’s Apple App Store on Oct. 22.

Bitchat uses Bluetooth Low Energy technology to connect nearby smartphones directly. It uses a mesh network in which each phone acts as a message relay, enabling short-range chats without the internet or mobile networks. The more users nearby, the wider the transmission range can become. When connected to the internet, it also supports long-distance communication using the decentralised communication protocol Nostr.

In France, students in Creteil near Paris began protests in mid-September over issues including a shortage of teaching staff. On Sept. 17, a nationwide rally was held opposing rising prices. About 550,000 people took part, according to France’s Interior Ministry, and some areas saw looting of shops and damage to facilities. The distribution industry estimated in an initial tally that about 1,500 stores suffered damage and losses could reach several hundred million euros.

After the unrest, former Prime Minister Gabriel Attal on Sept. 19 proposed temporarily blocking access to social media in areas where violence occurred. No actual blocking measures were implemented.

On Sept. 21, mobile service outages lasted about 10 hours at French telecoms operator Orange and its low-cost brand Sosh. Orange described it as a technical problem caused by a defect in core network equipment. In such conditions, interest in Bitchat, which can be used to get in touch without a communications network, grew.

Bitchat also supports a payment function using Cashu, which lets users send and receive e-cash based on bitcoin. Still, because there are concerns that external security verification is insufficient, caution is needed when exchanging sensitive information.