Jack Dorsey’s offline chat experiment just got yanked in one of the world’s biggest app markets. Bitchat — a Bluetooth mesh messaging app that works encrypted with no internet, cellular, or central servers required — disappeared from the Apple App Store and Google Play in India, TechCrunch reported Oct. 3, 2026 (Jagmeet Singh).
Dorsey said Saturday the Indian government ordered Apple to remove it under the IT Act’s Section 69A (MeitY). Apple’s notice: the app stays available outside India; TestFlight is also blocked in India. TechCrunch checked Google Play — gone. The website was inaccessible on various ISPs. Apple, Google, and MeitY had no comment.
Bitchat launched in July last year. In July 2026, India ordered a GitHub takedown of related repos under a different legal provision (intermediary liability). The government cited the hard-to-intercept design and the fact that it works during internet shutdowns. The Internet Freedom Foundation called the latest order unconstitutional.
The crackdown lands amid youth protests over voter rolls; internet around Jantar Mantar was suspended for about 12 hours Friday. During July protests, demonstrators used Bitchat and Briar. Sensor Tower data: India accounted for roughly 85% of global downloads July 17–23, versus about 1% in the prior 30 days.
Leave a Reply