“Cockroaches” using apps to send messages without the internet? Here is the technology behind it
Delhi Police are reportedly looking into whether protesters gathered at spots like Connaught Place and Jantar Mantar have been using offline messaging apps to stay in touch. The group — part of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protests — has apparently found a workaround for the internet blockade and mobile restrictions: Bluetooth-based apps that build a local network between nearby phones. That means messages can still go through even when there’s no 4G, 5G, or Wi-Fi in the area.
The suspicion reportedly stems from a report published by a well-known outlet, which said police started suspecting Bluetooth-based communication once mobile internet was cut in parts of central Delhi.
Although the police have not definitively confirmed the use of such apps, the investigation has highlighted a little-known technology that allows smartphones to exchange messages without relying on mobile data, Wi-Fi, or cellular networks.
How do these apps work without mobile services?
Unlike WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram, which rely on mobile data or Wi-Fi, offline messaging apps use ‘Bluetooth Low Energy’ (BLE), a wireless technology built into almost all modern smartphones. There are several apps of this type; some are local, while others have wider availability.
One of the best-known offline messaging apps is Bitchat. It was launched by Jack Dorsey, the founder of Twitter, in July 2025. The app has over a million downloads on the Google Play Store and allows users to exchange messages without needing to create an account, use a phone number, or connect to central servers. Other similar apps for Android also exist.
Bitchat and apps like it run on Bluetooth — the same tech behind your wireless earbuds and other smart gadgets — to let phones talk to each other without needing the internet at all. Send a message through an app like this, and it skips the usual route entirely: no cell tower, no Wi-Fi router, no server sitting in between.
Instead, your phone beams the encrypted message straight to any nearby device running the same app. Those phones then pass it along to others nearby, and so on — hopping from device to device until it reaches whoever it’s meant for. This is what’s called a mesh network, and it’s built entirely out of ordinary smartphones acting as relay points. The more people using the app in one area, the further and stronger the network gets.
Because none of this depends on the internet, the system keeps working even when mobile networks go down or don’t reach a particular area. The catch is range — it only works well over short distances, and you need a decent cluster of users nearby for it to be worth much.
Why is the Delhi Police investigating these apps?
The report indicates that the Delhi Police plan to approach the apps’ service providers to request user information as part of their investigation, although no specific apps have been named so far. Authorities are also examining Internet Protocol Detail Records (IPDR), analysing CCTV footage, and using facial recognition technology to identify protesters.
It is worth noting that this is not the first time—assuming these apps were indeed used in central Delhi—that protesters have turned to offline messaging apps for communication and coordination. Similar apps have been used by protesters in numerous demonstrations worldwide, most notably in Hong Kong, Ukraine, and Nepal.
These apps are also sometimes used for communication during natural disasters, when wired or mobile networks experience disruptions.