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* Unified notices: merge board pins and location notes into one sheet One pin icon in the header now opens a single Notices sheet with a geo/mesh scope toggle, replacing the separate board, location-notes, and mesh-only note buttons: - geo tab: current geohash's notices — mesh-synced board posts merged and deduped with Nostr kind-1 location notes, with per-item mesh/net source badges. Scope follows the selected location channel, or the device's building geohash when chatting on mesh. - mesh tab: mesh-local board only (fully offline). - One composer: geo posts go to the board and bridge to Nostr (existing bridge), so mesh and internet see the same notice. - Merged delete: tombstoning an own board post now also retracts the bridged Nostr copy via NIP-09 (new createDeleteEvent, bridged event ids tracked in BoardManager); own Nostr-only notes are deletable too. - LocationNotesManager accepts any channel-precision geohash (1-12 chars), not just building-level. BoardView and LocationNotesView are superseded by NoticesView. Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com> * Notices round 2: honest composer, friendlier copy, new-pin chat alerts - Urgent + expiry controls now appear on the mesh tab only: the bridged Nostr copy of a geo post carries neither, so relay-side readers would never see them. Geo posts default to non-urgent with 7-day expiry, and the bridged note now gets a NIP-40 expiration tag so honoring relays drop it in step with the board copy. - Geo tab explainer reuses the original location-notes description (keeps its 29 existing translations); mesh tab gets a new plain- language description. - New-pin chat alerts, fully local (no wire traffic): BoardStore fires postArrivals for posts newly accepted from the wire; BoardAlertsModel filters own posts, dedups by postID, and for urgent pins created within the last 30 minutes emits one system line into the matching timeline (geo pin -> that geohash's chat, mesh pin -> mesh chat), collapsing simultaneous arrivals into a count line. - Routine pins light up the header: the pin icon tints orange whenever the current scope has notices at all, and fills (pin.fill) while unseen new pins are waiting; opening the sheet clears them. Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com> * i18n: translate the unified-notices strings into all 28 non-English locales Adds the 13 new notices keys (sheet title, geo/mesh tabs, mesh description, source badges, urgent alert lines, button tooltip and accessibility strings) to the string catalog with translations for every locale the app ships. The geo tab already reuses the fully translated location_notes.description; this covers the rest. Insertion preserves the catalog's case-insensitive key order, so the diff is purely additive. Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com> * Address Codex review: panic-wipe reset, scoped badge clear, geohash-aware dedupe - BoardStore.wipe() now emits didWipe; BoardAlertsModel subscribes and resets, so a panic wipe drops pending urgent lines (which could otherwise re-append pre-wipe content into chat after the collapse flush), unseen badge scopes, and handled-post history. - Opening the notices sheet clears unseen badges only for the scopes it actually shows (mesh + current geo scope); pins for other geohash channels keep their badge until visited. - LocationNotesManager.Note now retains the matched g tag, and the bridged-copy dedupe requires the note's geohash to equal the board post's — a same-text note from a neighboring cell is no longer swallowed as a duplicate. Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com> --------- Co-authored-by: jack <jackjackbits@users.noreply.github.com> Co-authored-by: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
bitchat
A decentralized peer-to-peer messaging app with dual transport architecture: local Bluetooth mesh networks for offline communication and internet-based Nostr protocol for global reach. No accounts, no phone numbers, no central servers. It's the side-groupchat.
License
This project is released into the public domain. See the LICENSE file for details.
Features
- Dual Transport Architecture: Bluetooth mesh for offline + Nostr protocol for internet-based messaging
- Location-Based Channels: Geographic chat rooms using geohash coordinates over global Nostr relays
- Intelligent Message Routing: Automatically chooses best transport (Bluetooth → Nostr fallback)
- Decentralized Mesh Network: Automatic peer discovery and multi-hop message relay over Bluetooth LE
- Privacy First: No accounts, no phone numbers, no persistent identifiers
- Private Message End-to-End Encryption: Noise Protocol for mesh, NIP-17 for Nostr
- IRC-Style Commands: Familiar
/slap,/msg,/whostyle interface - Universal App: Native support for iOS and macOS
- Emergency Wipe: Triple-tap to instantly clear all data
- Performance Optimizations: LZ4 message compression, adaptive battery modes, and optimized networking
Technical Architecture
BitChat uses a hybrid messaging architecture with two complementary transport layers:
Bluetooth Mesh Network (Offline)
- Local Communication: Direct peer-to-peer within Bluetooth range
- Multi-hop Relay: Messages route through nearby devices (max 7 hops)
- No Internet Required: Works completely offline in disaster scenarios
- Noise Protocol Encryption: End-to-end encryption with forward secrecy
- Binary Protocol: Compact packet format optimized for Bluetooth LE constraints
- Automatic Discovery: Peer discovery and connection management
- Adaptive Power: Battery-optimized duty cycling
Nostr Protocol (Internet)
- Global Reach: Connect with users worldwide via internet relays
- Location Channels: Geographic chat rooms using geohash coordinates
- 290+ Relay Network: Distributed across the globe for reliability
- NIP-17 Encryption: Gift-wrapped private messages for internet privacy
- Ephemeral Keys: Fresh cryptographic identity per geohash area
Channel Types
mesh #bluetooth
- Transport: Bluetooth Low Energy mesh network
- Scope: Local devices within multi-hop range
- Internet: Not required
- Use Case: Offline communication, protests, disasters, remote areas
Location Channels (block #dr5rsj7, neighborhood #dr5rs, country #dr)
- Transport: Nostr protocol over internet
- Scope: Geographic areas defined by geohash precision
block(7 chars): City block levelneighborhood(6 chars): District/neighborhoodcity(5 chars): City levelprovince(4 chars): State/provinceregion(2 chars): Country/large region
- Internet: Required (connects to Nostr relays)
- Use Case: Location-based community chat, local events, regional discussions
Direct Message Routing
Private messages use intelligent transport selection:
-
Bluetooth First (preferred when available)
- Direct connection with established Noise session
- Fastest and most private option
-
Nostr Fallback (when Bluetooth unavailable)
- Uses recipient's Nostr public key
- NIP-17 gift-wrapping for privacy
- Routes through global relay network
-
Smart Queuing (when neither available)
- Messages queued until transport becomes available
- Automatic delivery when connection established
For detailed protocol documentation, see the Technical Whitepaper.
Setup
Option 1: Using Xcode
cd bitchat
open bitchat.xcodeproj
To run on a device there're a few steps to prepare the code:
- Clone the local configs:
cp Configs/Local.xcconfig.example Configs/Local.xcconfig - Add your Developer Team ID into the newly created
Configs/Local.xcconfig- Bundle ID would be set to
chat.bitchat.<team_id>(unless you set to something else)
- Bundle ID would be set to
- Entitlements need to be updated manually (TODO: Automate):
- Search and replace
group.chat.bitchatwithgroup.<your_bundle_id>(e.g.group.chat.bitchat.ABC123)
- Search and replace
Option 2: Using just
brew install just
Want to try this on macos: just run will set it up and run from source.
Run just clean afterwards to restore things to original state for mobile app building and development.
Localization
- Base app resources live under
bitchat/Localization/Base.lproj/. Add new copy toLocalizable.stringsand plural rules toLocalizable.stringsdict. - Share extension strings are separate in
bitchatShareExtension/Localization/Base.lproj/Localizable.strings. - Prefer keys that describe intent (
app_info.features.offline.title) and reuse existing ones where possible. - Run
xcodebuild -project bitchat.xcodeproj -scheme "bitchat (macOS)" -configuration Debug CODE_SIGNING_ALLOWED=NO buildto compile-check any localization updates.