Bitchat, a messaging app that works without an internet connection, disappeared from Apple’s App Store and from Google Play in India on 3 October 2026, TechCrunch reported. An Apple notice that Jack Dorsey, whose app it is, posted on X says India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) issued the demand under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act [1]. The Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF), a digital rights group in New Delhi, called the order unconstitutional the same day [2].
Background
Bitchat uses Bluetooth mesh networking so that nearby devices can exchange encrypted messages without cellular networks, internet access or central servers [1]. Apps of this kind matter when authorities suspend internet access. TechCrunch reports that authorities suspended internet services around New Delhi’s Jantar Mantar for 12 hours on 2 October during protests over changes to voter rolls, and that during protests in July demonstrators reportedly turned to Bitchat and the rival app Briar after internet services were suspended [1].
What the reports describe
Apple’s notice said Bitchat would remain available outside India, and that access to its TestFlight beta builds would also be blocked in the country. TechCrunch found the app unavailable on Google Play in India and Bitchat’s website inaccessible across various Indian internet providers; it was not clear whether Google and the providers had received government directions, and Apple, Google and the IT ministry did not respond to requests for comment [1].
According to the IFF, the notice states that the app “includes content that is illegal in India” without identifying that content or the ground under Section 69A, and the blocking order has not been published [2]. The group points to notices issued on 23 July 2026 by the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre to GitHub, Google and Apple against Bitchat, Briar and Bridgefy, which, it says, stated that such apps work during internet shutdowns and “hamper lawful interception, attribution and traceability” [2]. TechCrunch reports that the earlier July order to GitHub relied on a different provision of the IT law, on intermediaries [1].
The IFF notes that removal from the App Store does not delete Bitchat from phones, but stops new downloads and security updates, leaving existing users on unpatched versions [2]. It asks MeitY to publish the order and the record of the review committee’s proceedings, to withdraw the direction, and asks Apple to disclose the demand in its transparency reporting; it says it will file Right to Information requests for the order [2].
Implications for Mac users
Bitchat is a phone app, and the order concerns app stores and websites in India. For Mac users the case is a reminder of two separate mechanisms of control: removing software from distribution channels, and cutting or filtering network access. Each needs a different answer. A copy of an app already installed keeps working without updates, while a blocked website or service needs another network route to be reached. Neither the order nor the reports concern macOS directly.
Recommendations
- Keep communication tools updated while they are still distributed, since a removal stops security updates.
- Know in advance which tools work without the internet and which need a network route, and test them before they are needed.
- Download apps only from their official source, as copies passed around after a removal may be altered.
- Follow the IFF’s Right to Information requests for the text of the order, which would show its legal ground.
Relevance to TorAi
TorAi 0.1.1 sends the Mac apps a user selects over Tor, so that the sites they reach see a Tor exit’s address and the local network sees Tor traffic rather than the destinations. It needs an internet connection, so it does nothing during a full shutdown, which is the situation mesh messengers such as Bitchat are designed for. It does not yet offer bridges for networks that block Tor itself, and it does not restore an app removed from a store. TorAi is not affiliated with or endorsed by The Tor Project.
Limitations
The blocking order has not been published, so its stated grounds are known only from Apple’s notice as quoted by the IFF and TechCrunch [1] [2]. Whether Google and internet providers received directions was not confirmed at the time of reporting [1]. The IFF is an advocacy group, and its view that the order is unconstitutional is a legal argument, not a court finding.
To route chosen Mac apps over Tor, download TorAi and try every feature free for 17 days. TorAi is made by HisnLabs and is not affiliated with or endorsed by The Tor Project.