Bitchat, a decentralized peer-to-peer messaging application developed by Block CEO Jack Dorsey, has been removed from Apple‘s App Store in China after regulators determined it violated the country’s internet service rules. Dorsey disclosed the removal in a post on X, sharing a screenshot from Apple’s app review team. The notice confirmed the app was pulled in February and that the TestFlight beta version would also no longer be accessible to users in China.
The removal came at the request of the Cyberspace Administration of China, which cited a violation of Article 3 of its regulations governing online services with public opinion or social mobilization capabilities. Those regulations have been in force since 2018. Under their provisions, any service capable of influencing public opinion or enabling social mobilization must complete a security assessment before launch and bear responsibility for the results of that assessment.
Apple’s app review team also noted that all applications available through its store must comply with local legal requirements in each country where they are offered. The team stated that it is the developer’s responsibility to ensure their app conforms with all applicable local laws, not merely Apple’s internal guidelines. Apps that promote or encourage criminal or reckless behavior are subject to rejection, the team added.
Bitchat operates entirely over Bluetooth and mesh networks, functioning without a conventional internet connection. This architecture has made it particularly useful in situations where governments have attempted to restrict communication channels. The app has gained traction during protests in Madagascar, Uganda, Nepal, Indonesia, and Iran in recent months, as authorities in those countries moved to limit internet access and curb dissent.
Despite the ban in China, Bitchat remains available in other countries, according to Apple’s review team. Download figures from Chrome show the app has been installed more than three million times in total, with over 92,000 downloads recorded in the past week alone. The Google Play Store has logged more than one million registered downloads, though neither platform specifies which regions account for the majority of those figures.
For context, WeChat, developed and operated by Tencent, one of China’s largest technology companies, has an estimated 810 million users within China out of a national population exceeding 1.4 billion. The comparison underscores the scale of the established messaging ecosystem Bitchat would face in that market, even setting aside the regulatory barriers now in place.
Originally reported by CoinTelegraph.
