Apple pulls Jack Dorsey’s Bluetooth messenger Bitchat from China after regulator’s demand, it has been reported

April 6, 2026
aisecuritybusinesslaw
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Bitchat — the peer-to-peer, Bluetooth-and-mesh messaging app built by Block CEO Jack Dorsey — has been removed from Apple’s China App Store, it has been reported that the move came after a request from Beijing’s internet regulator. Dorsey posted a screenshot on X showing Apple’s app review team informing him that the app and its TestFlight beta would no longer be available in China, allegedly at the behest of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC).

What happened

Launched in July last year, Bitchat has been used during recent protests in countries including Madagascar, Uganda, Nepal, Indonesia and Iran — often when governments tried to curb internet access. The app runs entirely over Bluetooth and mesh networks and works without an internet connection, a feature that made it a lifeline for demonstrators but also, apparently, a red flag to regulators. Apple’s review message reminded Dorsey that all apps must comply with local laws and warned that services encouraging criminal or reckless behavior would be rejected.

Why Beijing pushed back

The CAC argued that Bitchat violated Article 3 of its regulations on online services with public-opinion or social-mobilization capabilities — rules that require certain platforms to undergo security assessments before launch. It has been reported that Chinese authorities see offline-capable mesh tools as potential facilitators of dissent, and regulators have tightened scrutiny on anything that can influence public opinion since 2018. Who gets to decide which communications tools are allowed during a protest? In China’s case, regulators apparently answered that question decisively.

Bitchat remains available in other markets. Third-party download trackers show more than three million installs overall and Google Play reportedly has over a million registered downloads, though it’s unclear where most of those users are located. The clash is another flashpoint in the ongoing tension between decentralized messaging tech and national controls — a modern tug-of-war over how people stay connected when the internet goes quiet.

Sources: cointelegraph.com