Tech giant Apple removed Bitchat, a decentralized peer-to-peer messaging app developed by Block CEO Jack Dorsey, from its China App Store at the request of Beijing’s internet regulator, Dorsey revealed in an X post on Sunday.
The Cyberspace Administration of China claimed the app violated rules for online services with “public opinion or social mobilization opportunities,” a provision that requires security assessments before launch.
Apple’s app review team told Dorsey that both the App Store listing and the TestFlight beta would no longer be available in China, although the app would remain available in other countries.
Bitchat runs entirely over Bluetooth and mesh networks with no internet connection required, a design that makes it functionally impossible for governments to block through conventional internet shutdowns or firewall filtering.
This architecture has made it an electoral tool during recent protests in Madagascar, Uganda, Nepal, Indonesia and Iran, where authorities have tried to restrict internet access to quell dissent.
The app has been downloaded more than three million times across platforms, with over 92,000 downloads in the past week alone, although regional breakdowns are not available. The Google Play Store lists more than a million registered downloads separately.
