Apple removes Jack Dorsey’s Bitchat from India App Store after MeitY demand

NEW DELHI: Bitchat has been bitten by India’s regulatory stick. Apple has removed the offline messaging app from its India App Store following a formal demand from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), according to a notice shared by the app’s developer and Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey.

Dorsey posted Apple’s App Review communication on X on Saturday, saying the Indian government had officially sought the removal of Bitchat from the country’s App Store.

According to the notice, Apple said MeitY had made the request under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000. The company told the developer that Bitchat was being removed in India because the app contained material considered illegal in the country and therefore did not meet Apple’s App Review requirements.

Apple also pointed to its requirement that apps comply with the laws applicable in every market where they are distributed. The company said the developer could approach MeitY for further information about the takedown and the relevant Indian legal requirements.

Bitchat is a decentralised messaging application designed to allow nearby devices to communicate without relying on cellular networks, Wi-Fi or a central server.

The app uses Bluetooth-based mesh networking to relay encrypted text messages between nearby devices. Its decentralised design means communication can continue even when conventional internet connectivity is unavailable.

That feature had previously attracted attention in India, particularly during periods when mobile internet services were restricted around protests.

The latest action means Bitchat is currently unavailable through Apple’s India App Store. Its TestFlight version is also no longer accessible for testing in India, while public TestFlight links will stop working in the country.

The removal is limited to India, with Apple saying the application remains available through App Stores in other regions selected by the developer.

The latest takedown follows earlier action against Bitchat in July by the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre (I4C), the cybercrime arm of India’s Home Ministry.

At the time, I4C directed GitHub to remove the application’s presence from the platform. The action came after Bluetooth-based messaging applications were used during protests when internet access around the site was temporarily restricted.

Authorities had raised concerns about Bitchat’s decentralised architecture. Because nearby devices can communicate directly through a mesh network, investigators could face greater difficulty accessing communication records or subscriber information.

The earlier notice also cited concerns that such platforms could potentially be used to bypass lawful restrictions and facilitate unlawful assemblies, violent protests, misinformation, radicalisation and criminal activity.

Dorsey had criticised the earlier action, arguing that the Indian government did not want technologies such as Bitchat to operate in the country.

The latest move marks a fresh regulatory setback for the app, this time through Apple’s distribution platform and following a demand from MeitY under Section 69A.

For users outside India, however, Bitchat remains available in supported markets. For Indian users, the combination of the App Store and TestFlight restrictions means Apple’s official distribution routes for the application are now closed.

The episode also highlights the regulatory challenge posed by decentralised communication tools, particularly when their ability to function without conventional internet infrastructure collides with government requirements around security, lawful access and online communication.