The offline messaging app Bitchat is no longer available on the Indian Apple Store. Apple removed the application, which is associated with co-founder Jack Dorsey.
The decision to take the app down came from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
Taking to X, on Saturday, posted a screenshot of a notice from Apple on the issue. Sharing a brief reaction, he just said that “government of India officially removes bitchat from the App Store.”
Going by the same notice issued by , MeitY demanded the application be taken down under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000. The tech company informed that the application would be removed for India as the content was considered “illegal in India”. The company added that it did not comply with its App Review Guidelines.
The notice did not specify if any particular content was considered illegal, nor did it mention anything further flagged by MeitY. Apple urged the developer to contact the ministry for further information on the matter.
Bitchat offers an offline messaging system. Users could use it to communicate without cellular networks, Wi-Fi, phone numbers or a central messaging server.
The app worked on a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) mesh network. It enabled users who are within Bluetooth range to communicate directly using their phones. These messages can further be relayed from one nearby device to another, almost like creating a chain or “mesh” which could extend communication beyond the normal range of the Bluetooth connection.
The application is particularly notable as it doesn’t require internet connectivity for its offline mode. It also supports encrypted private messaging and does not require conventional user accounts or phone-number registration.
The app had previously gained regulatory attention in India. In July, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (I4C) issued a notice seeking restrictions on Bitchat’s GitHub repositories. The notice cited concerns that its architecture could make lawful interception and attribution more difficult and allow communication to continue during internet shutdowns, as per ANI.
While Bitchat is no longer accessible in India, it is available in other regions approved by the developer. The company also said that the TestFlight version of the app would no longer function for testing in India.
(With inputs from ANI)
