The Bluetooth messenger BitChat has claimed the top spot in the social networking category of Jamaica’s App Store. The application facilitated communication following power outages caused by the hurricane.
The messenger also rose to second place in the overall ranking of free apps for Apple and Android platforms.
On October 28, a Category 5 storm named Melissa hit Jamaica. According to the US National Hurricane Center, wind speeds exceeded 290 km/h. The natural disaster caused flooding on the island, leading to power outages and loss of communication in some areas.
According to the outage monitoring service NetBlocks, the level of national internet connectivity in Jamaica fell to 30% of normal levels.
“The incident is attributed to strong winds and downed power lines, leaving hundreds of thousands without electricity and communication,” researchers noted.
How Bluetooth Helped
One of BitChat’s developers, known as calle, stated that this was “the first surge in activity in response to a natural disaster.”
bitchat downloads are spiking in jamaica.
we’ve seen spikes in regions of civil unrest before. this is the first spike in response to a natural disaster.
our thoughts are with the people of jamaica. we hope you and your friends and families are safe.
please be careful. pic.twitter.com/Sas3C9doon
— calle (@callebtc) October 29, 2025
Previously, the messenger had garnered significant attention in Nepal and Indonesia, but the cause was mass protests against the current authorities.
During natural disasters like the hurricane in Jamaica, reliable communication becomes critically important, calle stated in a comment to Decrypt. According to him, BitChat is designed to “help people stay connected even when traditional networks fail.”
The application does not require an internet connection. Each Bluetooth device in the BitChat network acts as both a client and a relay. This allows messages to be transmitted between gadgets to reach distant users. The range is about 30 meters, but individual network clusters connect via bridge nodes, extending the coverage area.
Such features enable the reception of crucial information like alerts, messages from rescue services, shelter locations, and more. The messenger also includes a “location notes” feature, allowing descriptions to be added to specific geographic points.
“BitChat was created to restore one of the most important human freedoms—the ability to communicate without permission, additional infrastructure, or surveillance. Even when all other [services] are down,” calle emphasized.
Back in June, Elon Musk announced the launch of the XChat messenger “with encryption, disappearing messages, and the ability to send any files.” The application faced criticism.