Jack Dorsey’s Bitchat disappears from app shops in India after authorities order

Bitchat, Jack Dorsey’s decentralized messaging app designed to work with out an web connection, has disappeared from Apple and Google’s app shops in India, months after New Delhi first sought to limit entry to the open-source software program.

Dorsey stated Saturday that the Indian authorities had ordered Apple to take away Bitchat from its App Store within the nation. In a discover from Apple that Dorsey posted on X, India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued the demand underneath Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, the nation’s major authorized provision for government-ordered on-line blocking.

Apple’s discover stated Bitchat would stay obtainable on its App Store exterior India. However, entry to the app by means of its TestFlight beta-testing service would even be blocked within the nation.

Bitchat was additionally now not obtainable for obtain by means of Google Play in India when TechCrunch checked on Saturday. Bitchat’s web site was additionally inaccessible throughout numerous web service suppliers within the nation. It was not instantly clear whether or not Google and web service suppliers had additionally acquired instructions from the federal authorities.

Apple, Google, and India’s IT ministry didn’t reply to requests for remark.

Launched in July final 12 months, Bitchat uses Bluetooth mesh networking to permit close by gadgets to change encrypted messages with out counting on mobile networks, web entry, or centralized servers.

In July 2026, Dorsey revealed that Indian authorities had ordered GitHub to take down repositories related to the open-source messaging app, raising questions amongst digital rights advocates and authorized specialists concerning the authorized foundation for proscribing software program based mostly on its performance.

The Indian authorities stated in its order to GitHub on the time that Bitchat’s structure made it arduous for legislation enforcement businesses to intercept communications or hint customers, and pointed to its means to proceed working throughout web shutdowns. The July order relied on a provision of India’s data know-how legislation that offers with intermediaries and their legal responsibility for third-party content material. That differs from Section 69A, cited in Apple’s newest discover.

The Internet Freedom Foundation, a New Delhi-based digital rights advocacy group, called the most recent order unconstitutional, arguing that Section 69A permits the federal government to dam illegal data however not a messaging app due to its means to function throughout web shutdowns. It additionally stated neither the blocking order nor the allegedly unlawful content material cited as the premise for the motion had been made public.

The newest restrictions on Bitchat come as India is seeing a contemporary wave of ⁠youth-led protests over modifications to the nation’s voter rolls. Police detained several people during demonstrations in New Delhi on Saturday, as protesters demanded the resignation of India’s chief election commissioner over alleged manipulation of electoral rolls. Authorities suspended internet services round New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar for 12 hours on Friday throughout protests there.

During July’s protests, demonstrators reportedly turned to Bitchat and rival app Briar after authorities suspended web companies.

Interest in Bitchat surged in India across the similar time. The nation accounted for about 85% of the app’s world downloads between July 17 and July 23, up from roughly 1% within the earlier 30 days, information from market intelligence agency Sensor Tower confirmed.