Apple removes Bitchat from India App Store after government demand

A notice shared by Jack Dorsey on October 3 cites MeitY’s demand; the particular content at issue was not identified in the notice.

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3 October 2026 · 2 min read

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Report prepared 3 Oct 2026, 10:59 pm IST · Event date shown above

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A notice shared by Jack Dorsey on October 3 cites MeitY’s demand; the particular content at issue was not identified in the notice.

Event / development: 3 Oct 2026
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Apple has removed the Bitchat messaging app from its India App Store following a demand from the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, according to an App Review notice shared by Jack Dorsey on October 3. NDTV Profit and Moneycontrol reported the notice that evening. Apple’s explanation, as reproduced in the reports, cites Section 69A of the Information Technology Act.

The notice says the app includes content considered illegal in India, but does not identify that content or specify the particular grounds behind the ministry’s demand. It directs the developer to seek further details from MeitY. Apple says the restriction concerns India; availability in other territories selected by the developer is unaffected. Its notice also says internal and external TestFlight testing and public TestFlight links will no longer be available in India.

Moneycontrol reported separate checks finding the app unavailable on Google Play and its website inaccessible at the time. Those observations do not independently establish that the same order caused both problems. Bitchat’s project documentation describes nearby-device messaging over Bluetooth and an internet-based transport; the App Store action concerns distribution and does not demonstrate that every existing installation has stopped working. The exact ministry order and its specific factual basis were not available in the materials checked.