GoKawiilIndia orders Apple to pull Jack Dorsey's Bitchat app from App Store
Bitchat, Jack Dorsey's Bluetooth-based offline messaging app, has been removed from Apple's and Google's app stores in India after the government invoked Section 69A of the IT Act. Apple's takedown notice, shared by Dorsey, said the app remains available outside India but that access via TestFlight is also blocked there, and Bitchat's website appears inaccessible across Indian ISPs. The move follows an earlier July order directing GitHub to remove Bitchat's code repositories.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The Indian government has previously said Bitchat's decentralized, mesh-network design makes it difficult for law enforcement to intercept communications or trace users, especially during internet shutdowns, which may explain its sustained push to restrict the app. The case could set a precedent for how governments regulate open-source software based on technical capability rather than specific wrongdoing, a concern digital rights advocates have already raised.
- Bitchat has been removed from Apple's and Google's app stores in India under a Section 69A order.
- Apple's TestFlight access and Bitchat's website also appear blocked for Indian users.
- The ban follows an earlier July 2026 order forcing GitHub to remove Bitchat's source code repositories.
Source: techcrunch.com — Jagmeet Singh, 2026-10-03
Published there as: “Jack Dorsey’s Bitchat disappears from app stores in India after government order”
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