Apple Removes Bitchat App from India App Store

Apple removed the offline messaging application Bitchat from the India App Store on October 3, 2026, following a takedown order from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. The removal was executed under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, based on claims that the app contains content illegal in India. The order also disabled Bitchat's TestFlight beta versions within the country, though the app remains available in other global markets.

Developed by Jack Dorsey, Bitchat uses a Bluetooth-based peer-to-peer mesh network to enable encrypted communication without internet connectivity or central servers. This architecture has drawn repeated government scrutiny. In July 2026, the Indian Cybercrime Coordination Centre ordered GitHub to remove Bitchat repositories, alleging the technology could be exploited by criminal and terrorist organizations to evade lawful surveillance. Specifically, officials noted the app's use by Cockroach Janta Party protesters during internet shutdowns in New Delhi.

The Internet Freedom Foundation has criticized the blocking order as unconstitutional, citing a lack of public grounds for the decision.