Apple has removed Jack Dorsey’s project from the Chinese App Store., 2026/04/06 15:31:11

The American company Apple has removed the decentralized messenger Bitchat, developed by the team of Twitter founder Jack Dorsey, from its Chinese app store at the request of the Chinese authorities.

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC) announced that the Bitchat application violates the requirements for “internet information services that exhibit characteristics of public opinion or possess social mobilization capabilities.” Since 2018, such services are required to undergo mandatory review by Chinese authorities prior to launch, which, according to the CAC, was not done for Bitchat.

Unlike controllable messengers that rely on centralized servers, Bitchat operates entirely through Bluetooth and “mesh networks” without an internet connection. This complicates oversight by authorities, rendering the application nearly immune to censorship.

Meanwhile, the Bitchat app has already been downloaded over 3 million times across various platforms. Bitchat has gained particular popularity amid recent protests in Madagascar, Uganda, Iran, Nepal, and Indonesia, where authorities attempted to restrict internet access.

This is not the first instance of Apple removing decentralized applications supported by Jack Dorsey. In 2023, Apple threatened to remove the mobile application of the decentralized social network Damus from the App Store. This network is built on the Nostr protocol and supports Bitcoin tipping.

Last year, Apple removed mobile applications of cryptocurrency exchanges Bybit, KuCoin, Bitget, MEXC Global, and LBank from the Japanese App Store at the request of local authorities, who claimed that these platforms were servicing Japanese users without a license.