Apple has withdrawn Bitchat, a decentralized messaging app created by Block CEO Jack Dorsey, from the Chinese App Store following a request from the Cyberspace Administration of China, as disclosed by Dorsey in a recent X post. The Chinese regulator claimed the app breached rules governing online services that influence public opinion or facilitate social mobilization, which require prior security evaluations. As a result, Apple's review team informed Dorsey that both the app's listing and beta version on TestFlight would be inaccessible in China, although it remains available in other countries.
Notably, Bitchat functions solely through Bluetooth and mesh networks, eliminating the need for an internet connection, which renders conventional government blockages or filtering ineffective. This unique design has made the app a preferred choice during protests in various nations, including Madagascar, Uganda, Nepal, Indonesia, and Iran, where authorities have attempted to limit internet access to suppress dissent. The app has garnered over three million downloads across platforms, with more than 92,000 downloads in the past week alone, while the Google Play Store separately reports over one million registered downloads.