Chinese regulators have ordered Apple to remove Bitchat, the decentralized messaging app created by Jack Dorsey, from its China App Store. The app, which operates over Bluetooth and mesh networks without internet, has been downloaded over three million times and used in protests worldwide. Regulators cited violations of rules governing services with public opinion or social mobilization capabilities.
Apple removed Bitchat from its China App Store at the request of Beijing’s Cyberspace Administration. The regulator argued the app violated provisions on “Internet-based Information Services With Attribute of Public Opinions of Capable of Social Mobilization,” which require security assessments before launch.
Dorsey confirmed the removal in a tweet on Sunday. The app’s design allows peer-to-peer messaging without internet connectivity, posing a challenge to digital surveillance.
The app has seen significant adoption, with over three million total downloads across platforms and 83,000 downloads in the past week. Its TestFlight version reached a 10,000-user limit before the removal, while the Google Play Store version has over one million downloads.
Bitchat has become a tool during protests in Madagascar, Uganda, Iran, Nepal and Indonesia. Its mesh networking technology allows communication during government-imposed internet blackouts.
The removal reflects China’s tight control over digital communications, contrasting with the monitored environment of dominant platform WeChat. This is the second time China has targeted a Dorsey-backed app, having previously banned the decentralized social network Damus in 2023.
