China Orders Apple to Remove Jack Dorsey's Bitchat Messaging App

China has ordered Apple to remove Bitchat, a peer-to-peer messaging app created by Block CEO Jack Dorsey, from its App Store after Beijing's internet regulator determined the app violated regulations requiring security assessments for services with social mobilization capabilities. Bitchat operates entirely over Bluetooth and mesh networks without requiring internet connectivity, making it functionally impossible for governments to block through conventional censorship methods. The app has gained over three million downloads and was used during recent protests in Iran, Madagascar, Uganda, Nepal, and Indonesia where authorities attempted to restrict internet access. While removed from China's App Store as of April 5, 2026, Bitchat remains available in other countries, highlighting tensions between censorship-resistant technology and authoritarian control.

China's removal of Bitchat from Apple's App Store

• ▪Bitchat remains accessible in countries outside China after its removal from China's App Store
• ▪Apple's app review team told Jack Dorsey that both the App Store listing and the TestFlight beta version of Bitchat would no longer be available in China
• ▪Apple removed Bitchat from its China App Store at the request of Beijing's internet regulator
• ▪Block CEO Jack Dorsey disclosed the removal of Bitchat from China's App Store in an X post on Sunday, April 5, 2026
• ▪Jack Dorsey is the CEO of Block and created the Bitchat messaging app

Bitchat's decentralized architecture and use in protests

• ▪Bitchat had over 92,000 downloads in the week prior to April 6, 2026
• ▪Bitchat has been downloaded more than three million times across platforms
• ▪The Google Play Store shows more than one million registered downloads of Bitchat
• ▪Bitchat has been used during recent protests in Madagascar, Uganda, Nepal, Indonesia, and Iran
• ▪Bitchat's architecture makes it functionally impossible for governments to block through conventional internet shutdowns or firewall filtering
• ▪Authorities in Madagascar, Uganda, Nepal, Indonesia, and Iran attempted to restrict internet access to curb dissent during protests where Bitchat was used
• ▪Bitchat runs entirely over Bluetooth and mesh networks with no internet connection required

Regulatory justification and censorship implications

• ▪Chinese regulations require online services with public opinion or social mobilization capabilities to undergo security assessments before launch
• ▪Bitchat's design is incompatible with Beijing's censorship regime
• ▪The Cyberspace Administration of China argued that Bitchat violated regulations governing online services with public opinion or social mobilization capabilities

Perspective of China's Cyberspace Administration

• ▪The Cyberspace Administration of China views Bitchat as requiring security assessment because it has social mobilization capabilities

Perspective of Digital rights advocates

• ▪The removal of Bitchat from China's App Store demonstrates how authoritarian governments pressure technology companies to restrict communication tools

Perspective of Apple

• ▪Apple's removal of Bitchat reflects the company's policy of complying with local government content removal requests to maintain App Store operations

Perspective of Jack Dorsey and Block

• ▪Jack Dorsey's public disclosure of Bitchat's removal from China serves to promote the app's censorship-resistant capabilities