China orders Apple to pull Dorsey's Bitchat, the messaging app used during Iran protests

The peer-to-peer app runs entirely over Bluetooth and mesh networks without an internet connection, making it popular with protesters and incompatible with Beijing's censorship regime.

What to know:

• Apple removed Bitchat, a decentralized messaging app created by Block CEO Jack Dorsey, from its China App Store at the request of Beijing's internet regulator.
• Chinese authorities said Bitchat violated rules for online services with public opinion or social mobilization capabilities, which require security assessments before launch.
• The app, which uses Bluetooth and mesh networks to work without an internet connection, has become popular during protests in several countries and remains available outside China.

Tech giant Apple 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 disclosed in an X post on Sunday.

The Cyberspace Administration of China argued 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 version would no longer be available in China, though the app remains accessible in other countries.

bitchat pulled from the china app store pic.twitter.com/jrrd0gDrA9

— jack (@jack) April 5, 2026

Bitchat runs entirely over Bluetooth and mesh networks with no internet connection required, a design that makes it functionally impossible for governments to block through conventional internet shutdowns or firewall filtering.

That architecture has made it a tool of choice 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 platforms, with over 92,000 downloads in the past week alone, though regional breakdowns are not available. The Google Play Store shows more than one million registered downloads separately.

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