Story perspectives

Apple removes Bitchat app from India App Store

By Drooid · Oct 3, 2026, 10:01 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Apple removed the Bitchat messaging app from India's App Store on Oct. 3 2026 after a ministry demand.
Apple said the takedown follows Section 69A of the IT Act, citing illegal content without specifying material.
Apple also blocked the TestFlight beta and public TestFlight links for India.
Google Play stopped offering Bitchat in India.
The app’s website was inaccessible across Indian ISPs.

History

Historical Context

After the Galwan Valley clash, India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology invoked Section 69A on 29 June 2020 to ban TikTok and 58 Chinese apps, removing them from Apple and Google stores and affecting over 300 million users. The October 3 2026 order that forced Apple to pull the Bitchat messenger shows the same regulatory pattern, where MeitY’s security-driven app bans now shape global platform access.

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Story summary

Apple removed the Bitchat messaging app from India's App Store on Oct. 3 2026 after a ministry demand.
Apple said the takedown follows Section 69A of the IT Act, citing illegal content without specifying material.
Apple also blocked the TestFlight beta and public TestFlight links for India.
Google Play stopped offering Bitchat in India.
The app’s website was inaccessible across Indian ISPs.

1 / 2