Apple has removed Bitchat from the India App Store after receiving a government blocking demand under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act. Jack Dorsey, the Twitter co-founder, disclosed the action on October 3, 2026, by sharing an Apple App Review notice on X.

According to the notice, the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued the direction. Apple cited content considered illegal in India but did not identify the material. The restriction also covers internal and external TestFlight testing and public beta links for users in India. Bitchat remains available in other selected territories.

The notice does not state that copies already installed on users’ phones have been disabled. It also indicates that earlier distribution restrictions did not apply to every market.

government of India officially removes bitchat from the App Store pic.twitter.com/9oHHiwquec — jack (@jack) October 3, 2026

https://x.com/jack/status/2106359514391871540?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw

Removal follows MeitY order under Section 69A

Apple linked Bitchat’s removal to its legal compliance requirements for applications distributed across different territories. The company’s App Review Guidelines require developers to comply with local laws in every jurisdiction where their software is offered. Apple directed Dorsey to contact MeitY for additional information about the decision.

Section 69A allows India’s central government to block public access to digital information on specified grounds, including national sovereignty, state security and public order. The provision requires written reasons and operates alongside procedures established under the 2009 Blocking Rules.

The latest action follows a separate attempt by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C), which operates under the Home Ministry. On July 23, 2026, the agency demanded that GitHub disable access to three Bitchat repositories within three hours.

That notice invoked Section 79(3)(b) and Rule 3(1)(d), and threatened GitHub with the loss of intermediary protections. Section 79 concerns platform liability for information supplied by third parties.

The Internet Freedom Foundation challenged the July order, arguing that authorities had bypassed the dedicated blocking framework. The group called for the notice to be withdrawn and for takedown directions issued through the disputed legal route to be published. The Apple directive now rests on the very framework the group accused the July notices of bypassing.

MediaNama reported that related notices also targeted Google and Apple over several offline messaging applications. Officials reportedly told the companies on July 24 that compliance was unnecessary, leaving the applications available. The July takedown notices therefore reportedly failed to secure Bitchat’s removal from either app store. The notice shared by Dorsey does not address whether Google will take a similar step in India.

Offline messaging draws scrutiny after protests

Dorsey released Bitchat as open-source software in July 2025, initially describing it as an experimental weekend project. The application supports local communication through Bluetooth mesh networking and internet messaging through the Nostr protocol.

Nearby phones can discover one another and relay messages across participating devices without a mobile network. Users do not need accounts or phone numbers. Private Bluetooth messages use end-to-end encryption through the Noise Protocol. Offline messaging depends on nearby participating devices, while Nostr channels require internet connectivity and use distributed relays.

Student demonstrations at Jantar Mantar in New Delhi formed the backdrop to the July notices. Authorities alleged that the software could help criminal groups and other actors evade detection during network restrictions.

Digital rights advocates disputed that reasoning, arguing that anticipated misuse did not justify blocking a communications tool. Restricting downloads from India’s App Store could make it more difficult for new users to join local messaging networks during shutdowns.

The Bitchat notice describes distribution restrictions but does not say that existing installations were disabled. The application’s Bluetooth architecture does not rely on a central messaging server, leaving app-store placement among the few centralized points available for restricting the software.

India previously used Section 69A against messaging applications in May 2023 after an I4C request involving Jammu and Kashmir. The request covered 14 applications allegedly used by terrorists and their supporters for communication. MediaNama reported that Briar was among the services blocked through that earlier process.

China previously required Apple to remove Bitchat from its local store in April 2026. The Cyberspace Administration of China cited security assessment rules governing applications capable of influencing public opinion or mobilizing users. With the October order, India and China have both directed Apple to remove the application from their respective stores during 2026.