Tech giant Apple has 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 argued that the app violated regulations governing online services with “public opinion or social mobilization capabilities,” 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 still be accessible in other countries.
Bitchat runs entirely over Bluetooth and mesh networks without requiring an Internet connection, a design that makes it functionally impossible for governments to block through conventional Internet shutdowns or firewall filtering.
That architecture has made it a preferred tool during recent protests in Madagascar, Uganda, Nepal, Indonesia and Iran, where authorities attempted to restrict Internet access to curb dissent.
The app has been downloaded more than three million times across all platforms, with more than 92,000 downloads last week alone, although regional breakdowns are not available. Google Play Store shows more than one million separately recorded downloads.
