India orders Bitchat pulled from app stores
Original: Jack Dorsey’s Bitchat disappears from app stores in India after government order
Why This Matters
Signals India's escalating willingness to block privacy-preserving, decentralized communication tools.
India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology ordered Apple to remove Jack Dorsey's Bitchat from its App Store under Section 69A of the IT Act. Google Play and the app's website are also inaccessible in India as of Oct. 3, 2026.
Bitchat, Jack Dorsey's Bluetooth mesh messaging app that works without internet or cellular networks, has vanished from Apple and Google's app stores in India following a government directive. Dorsey posted Apple's removal notice on X Saturday, confirming India's IT Ministry issued the order under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act — the country's main legal tool for blocking online content. Apple confirmed Bitchat remains available globally, but access via TestFlight is also blocked in India. Google Play was similarly inaccessible when TechCrunch checked. The app's website was also down across multiple Indian ISPs.
This isn't India's first move against Bitchat. In July 2026, authorities ordered GitHub to remove the app's open-source repositories, citing concerns that its architecture — designed to work even during internet shutdowns — hampers law enforcement interception and user tracing. That earlier order invoked a separate IT Act provision governing intermediary liability.
The Internet Freedom Foundation called the latest action unconstitutional, arguing Section 69A covers unlawful content, not apps, and noted neither the blocking order nor cited illegal content has been made public. The crackdown coincides with youth-led protests in India over changes to voter rolls.