Jack Dorsey’s decentralized messaging application, Bitchat, has been removed from both Apple and Google’s app stores in India, marking the latest escalation in New Delhi’s efforts to restrict the open-source software. The removal follows a directive issued by India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, which invoked Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, the country’s primary legal mechanism for ordering online content blocks.
Dorsey announced the decision on Saturday, sharing an Apple notice that confirmed the takedown order. While the app remains available on the App Store in other regions, Apple stated that access via its TestFlight beta service would also be blocked within India. A check by TechCrunch on Saturday confirmed that Bitchat was similarly unavailable on Google Play in the country, and the app’s website was inaccessible across multiple local internet service providers.
The move targets an application launched in July of the previous year that utilizes Bluetooth mesh networking to facilitate encrypted peer-to-peer communication without relying on cellular networks, internet access, or centralized servers. This architecture allows the app to function during internet blackouts, a feature that has drawn both advocacy and scrutiny.
This development follows a similar intervention in July 2026, when Indian authorities ordered GitHub to remove repositories associated with Bitchat. At that time, the government argued that the app’s design hindered law enforcement’s ability to intercept communications or trace users. That earlier order relied on intermediary liability provisions under IT law, whereas the recent directive against app stores cites Section 69A.
The Internet Freedom Foundation, a New Delhi-based digital rights group, condemned the latest order as unconstitutional. The organization argued that Section 69A permits the blocking of unlawful information but cannot be used to ban a messaging application solely because of its resilience during internet shutdowns. Furthermore, the foundation noted that neither the blocking order nor the specific illegal content cited as justification had been made public.
Interest in Bitchat surged domestically around the time of the previous interventions. Data from Sensor Tower indicated that India accounted for approximately 85% of the app’s global downloads between July 17 and July 23, a significant increase from roughly 1% in the preceding month. During earlier protests in July, demonstrators reportedly switched to Bitchat and rival app Briar after authorities suspended internet services.
The restrictions arrive amid a fresh wave of youth-led demonstrations in India regarding alleged manipulations of voter rolls. Police detained several individuals during protests in New Delhi on Saturday, while internet services were suspended around the Jantar Mantar protest site for 12 hours on Friday. Apple, Google, and India’s IT ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the enforcement actions.
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