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Apple Removes Jack Dorsey-Backed Bitchat from Indian App Store on Government Demand
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News18•05-10-2026, 11:11
Apple Removes Jack Dorsey-Backed Bitchat from Indian App Store on Government Demand
- •Apple removed the Bitchat offline messaging app from its Indian App Store following a demand from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
- •Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey shared a screenshot of Apple's notice, which stated the app was removed under Section 69A of the IT Act, 2000, due to content deemed illegal in India.
- •Bitchat is an offline messaging app that uses Bluetooth and a mesh network to connect nearby phones directly, enabling communication without internet access.
- •The app's ability to function without mobile data, Wi-Fi, or central servers makes it useful in areas with limited or no internet connectivity.
- •This is not the first action against Bitchat; Indian authorities previously targeted its code repositories on GitHub, and Apple removed it from the China App Store earlier this year.
Key Questions Answered
Apple removed Bitchat from the Indian App Store following a demand from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, due to content considered illegal in India.
Bitchat uses a mesh network technology over Bluetooth, allowing nearby smartphones to connect directly to each other without depending on mobile data, Wi-Fi, or central servers.
Earlier in the year, Indian authorities targeted Bitchat's code repositories on GitHub following security concerns raised over its decentralized communication architecture during public protests.
