Stories
Bitchat Faces Second Major Action in India: Removed from GitHub, Now Apple App Store.
- •Apple removed the Bitchat app from its App Store in India following a formal request from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
- •Apple cited that the app contains content deemed illegal in India and violates Apple's review guidelines.
- •This action follows increased scrutiny after protests against the NEET exam paper leak in July 2026, where Bitchat was reportedly used by protesters.
- •India's share of Bitchat's global downloads surged to 85% in July 2026, up from 1% in the preceding 30 days.
- •Previously, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) ordered GitHub to remove three Bitchat-related repositories.
Key Questions Answered
Apple removed Bitchat from the App Store in India following a formal request from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) under Section 69A of the IT Act. The notice stated that the app contained content considered illegal in India and violated Apple's review guidelines.
During the NEET exam paper leak protests at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi in July 2026, mobile internet services were restricted, prompting protesters to use Bitchat to communicate. India's share of Bitchat's global downloads surged to roughly 85% between July 17 and 23, with daily active users exceeding 330,000 on July 23.
On July 23, 2026, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) ordered GitHub to remove three Bitchat repositories under Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act. Officials maintained that the app's decentralised Bluetooth mesh design significantly hindered legal interception, user identification, and criminal investigations.
