Bitchat, the decentralised messaging app backed by Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, has been removed from Apple’s India App Store following a takedown demand from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
Dorsey shared a screenshot of Apple’s App Review notification on X on October 3, stating that the Indian government had directed the removal of the app from the platform. Apple said the application contained content considered illegal in India and did not comply with its App Review Guidelines.
The notification confirmed that MeitY had issued the takedown demand under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000. However, it did not identify the specific content considered illegal or explain the exact grounds cited by the ministry. Apple advised the developer to contact MeitY for further details about the order and applicable legal requirements.
Bitchat is also facing availability issues on other platforms. Checks found that the app was unavailable on the Google Play Store and that its website was not opening at the time of checking. However, these checks do not independently establish whether the government’s order was responsible for the unavailability across these channels.
Apple said Bitchat would remain available in other territories selected by its developer. However, its TestFlight version will no longer be available for internal or external testing in India, while public TestFlight links will also stop working in the country.
This is not the first action involving Bitchat in India. During the Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) protests in July, authorities reportedly directed GitHub to restrict access to the application in India. The Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), under the Union Home Ministry, instructed GitHub to disable access to 3 Bitchat repositories within 3 hours.
The reported order cited concerns that the application could be misused by anti-national elements, terrorist organisations, organised criminal groups and cybercriminals.
Bitchat is a decentralised, peer-to-peer messaging application designed to work without an internet connection, phone number or central server. It uses Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh networking to connect nearby devices and relay messages.
The app can connect devices within an approximate range of 30 to 100 metres. Messages can then move across multiple connected devices, extending the network’s reach. This allows users to communicate without cellular networks or Wi-Fi when compatible devices are nearby and participating in the mesh network.
The specific legal grounds behind MeitY’s latest demand have not been detailed in the notification shared by Dorsey.
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