India orders removal of Jack Dorsey’s Bitchat app from Apple and Google stores

Bitchat, a Bluetooth-mesh messaging platform created by Jack Dorsey, disappeared from both Apple’s App Store and Google Play in India after the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology invoked Section 69A of the Information Technology Act. Apple’s notice confirmed the app remains available elsewhere, but its TestFlight beta and the Bitchat website are inaccessible to Indian users. The removal follows a July 2026 order that compelled GitHub to delete the app’s open-source repositories, with the government arguing the software’s ability to operate during internet shutdowns hampers police surveillance.

The Internet Freedom Foundation criticized the latest directive as unconstitutional, pointing out the lack of public disclosure of the blocking rationale. Interest in Bitchat had surged during recent youth-led protests over voter-roll changes, when authorities suspended internet service around New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar, prompting users to turn to the app and its rival Briar. Sensor Tower data showed India accounted for about 85 % of global Bitchat downloads in a single week in July.