Apple has removed Bitchat from its India App Store following an order from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), putting Jack Dorsey’s decentralised messaging app at the centre of a fresh government-versus-tech-platform controversy.
The app was removed after MeitY invoked Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, according to a notice from Apple's App Review team that Bitchat developer and Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey shared on X.
Apple's notice said the app was being removed because it “includes content that is illegal in India”, but it did not specify what content was allegedly illegal or which particular grounds under Section 69A were cited by the government.
Dorsey described the development more bluntly on X:
“Government of India officially removes bitchat from the App Store”
The post included a screenshot of Apple's communication to the developer.
What makes Bitchat different — and what has made it particularly interesting to both users and regulators — is that it does not depend on the internet to send messages.
The app uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh networking, allowing nearby devices to communicate directly with one another. Messages can then hop from one device to another, extending the effective communication range without requiring cellular data, Wi-Fi or a central server.
It also does not require users to provide a phone number.
That means Bitchat can potentially keep people connected in situations where conventional internet or mobile networks are unavailable.
And that is precisely what makes the app unusual.
It can continue functioning even when traditional internet connectivity has been disrupted.
Apple's action is currently specific to India.
According to the notice shared by Dorsey, Bitchat will remain available in other territories where the developer has made it available.
Apple has also disabled Bitchat's TestFlight version in India. That means users in the country will no longer be able to access the app through Apple's beta-testing system either, while public TestFlight links will also stop working in India.
Bitchat was also unavailable on Google's Play Store in India when several outlets checked.
However, it is important not to automatically attribute Google's removal or the website's reported inaccessibility to the same government order. TechCrunch reported that it was not immediately clear whether Google or internet service providers had received separate directions from the government.
This is where the story gets complicated.
Apple's notice says MeitY told the company that Bitchat contained “content that is illegal in India”.
But the notice does not explain what that content is.
It also does not identify the specific Section 69A ground relied upon by the government.
Apple instead directed the developer to contact MeitY for more information about the removal and India's applicable legal requirements.
So, at this stage, it would be inaccurate to state as fact that Bitchat was removed because it is an offline messaging app.
What can be established is that the app was removed following a MeitY order under Section 69A, while the publicly shared Apple notice does not provide the underlying details.
This isn't the first time Indian authorities have targeted Bitchat.
In July, the government's cybercrime arm, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), ordered GitHub to restrict access to repositories associated with Bitchat.
According to reports at the time, the government raised concerns that the app's decentralised architecture could make it difficult for authorities to intercept communications or trace users. Its ability to function during internet shutdowns was also cited as a concern.
The July action was different from the latest one.
The earlier action involved GitHub repositories, while the latest order cited by Apple invokes Section 69A and directly resulted in Bitchat being removed from Apple's India App Store.
The app's unusual architecture became particularly relevant during protests in India earlier this year.
When authorities suspended internet services in parts of Delhi during demonstrations, protesters reportedly turned to Bitchat and another decentralised messaging app, Briar, to remain connected.
Bitchat's popularity subsequently exploded.
According to data from market intelligence company Sensor Tower cited by TechCrunch, India accounted for approximately 85% of Bitchat's global downloads between July 17 and July 23, compared with around 1% during the previous 30 days.
That dramatic increase helps explain why the app suddenly became much more visible in India.
Imagine a protest, disaster or emergency where mobile internet is switched off.
WhatsApp won't work.
Instagram won't work.
Telegram won't work.
Most conventional messaging services become effectively useless without an internet connection.
Bitchat takes a different approach.
As long as compatible devices are physically close enough to communicate through Bluetooth, they can form a local network and pass messages between one another.
That doesn't make Bitchat completely independent of technology or geography — Bluetooth has a limited range, and the network becomes more useful as more participating devices are present.
But it does mean that an internet shutdown does not necessarily shut down communication between nearby Bitchat users.
That capability has made decentralised messaging tools increasingly relevant in situations involving protests, emergencies and network disruptions.
Section 69A of India's Information Technology Act gives the government powers to direct the blocking of public access to information in specified circumstances.
The provision has previously been used to block websites, online content and other digital material.
In Bitchat's case, however, the precise information or content that the government considers illegal has not been publicly identified in Apple's notice.
That is an important distinction.
The government's legal authority to issue a blocking order and the specific reasoning behind this particular order are two separate questions.
At present, the first is documented.
The second remains unclear from the information publicly available.
The latest action has already attracted criticism from digital rights advocates.
The Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) argued that Section 69A allows the government to block unlawful information, but questioned whether the provision can be used to block an entire messaging application based on its functionality.
The organisation also criticised the lack of public disclosure surrounding the blocking order and the allegedly illegal content cited as its basis.
That debate is likely to continue.
The central question is whether a technology's potential to bypass conventional communications infrastructure can itself become sufficient justification for restricting access to the technology.
For Dorsey, the latest development is another major blow to Bitchat's availability in one of the world's largest internet markets.
The app had already faced action against its GitHub repositories in July.
Now it has disappeared from Apple's Indian App Store, with its TestFlight access also disabled.
And while reports have found it unavailable on Google Play in India as well, the exact government action behind that removal has not been publicly established.
The controversy also comes at a particularly sensitive time, with internet restrictions again being imposed around protests in Delhi.
That has renewed attention on technologies designed specifically to keep communication alive when conventional networks go offline.
The immediate question is whether Bitchat's developers will challenge the order or seek clarification from MeitY.
Apple's notice specifically directs the developer to contact the ministry regarding the removal and India's legal requirements.
For now, however, the position is straightforward:
Bitchat is unavailable on Apple's India App Store following a MeitY order under Section 69A.
The app remains available in other markets.
