The Bitchat India ban took effect on 3 October 2026, when Jack Dorsey’s Bluetooth messaging app disappeared from Apple’s App Store and Google Play for users in India. According to TechCrunch, India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology issued the order, and the app’s website also became unreachable on Indian internet providers.
In this report
- What the government ordered
- The July precedent
- The legal dispute
- Why it matters to users and developers
- What happens next
- Questions about the Bitchat ban
What the government ordered
TechCrunch reports that Apple’s removal notice cited Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, the provision that governs government-ordered online blocking. The order covered the App Store, Google Play, the TestFlight beta service and the website. Bitchat sends encrypted messages over Bluetooth mesh networking, so it can work without mobile data or an internet connection.
The July precedent
This is not the first step. TechCrunch says Indian authorities ordered GitHub in July 2026 to remove repositories for the open-source app, citing concerns that its design prevents lawful interception and lets people communicate during internet shutdowns. The digital-rights group SFLC.in said that order was issued on 23 July by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre, gave GitHub three hours to comply, and relied on Section 79(3)(b) of the IT Act rather than Section 69A. SFLC argues the order lacked legality, necessity and proportionality. Those are the group’s views, not a court finding.
The legal dispute
TechCrunch quotes the Internet Freedom Foundation as calling the latest action unconstitutional, arguing that Section 69A “allows the government to block unlawful information but not a messaging app because of its ability to operate during internet shutdowns.” The government’s stated rationale in the July order, as SFLC describes it, was that the app would “impede the state’s ability to conduct lawful interception and surveillance.” We have not seen a public government statement accompanying the October removal.
Why it matters to users and developers
TechCrunch notes the app gained popularity during protests in July 2026 and accounted for roughly 85 percent of its global downloads in that period. For an Indian developer who built on open-source mesh tools, the practical effect is that the app can no longer be installed from official stores and its code has been taken down in India. The case also tests how far a blocking power can reach into software that has no central server to switch off.
The episode sits alongside wider debates over AI and online control we have covered, including the FTC probe into AI agents and the Gemini 4 release.
What happens next
Watch for a court challenge from digital-rights groups, any statement from Apple or Google about the legal basis, and whether people who already installed the app can keep using it. Bluetooth mesh apps already on phones are not obviously affected by a store removal, though that point has not been confirmed in the reports we read.
Questions about the Bitchat ban
Is Bitchat banned in India?
It has been removed from the App Store and Google Play in India and its website is unreachable on Indian ISPs, per TechCrunch. The order cites Section 69A of the IT Act.
Who ordered the removal?
India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, according to TechCrunch.
What happened in July?
Authorities ordered GitHub to remove Bitchat repositories, per TechCrunch and SFLC.in.
How does Bitchat work?
It uses Bluetooth mesh networking for encrypted messaging without mobile data or internet.
Who is challenging the order?
The Internet Freedom Foundation and SFLC.in have publicly criticised the actions as unlawful.
Follow our tech coverage for the next development, and read how OpenAI’s rogue agent incidents are shaping regulation.