Apple has removed Jack Dorsey (잭 도시)'s decentralised P2P messenger Bitchat from its China App Store.

Cointelegraph, a blockchain outlet, reported on April 6 that the move followed a request from the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC). The beta service via TestFlight was also halted in China.

Dorsey posted on X, formerly Twitter, the contents of a notice he received from Apple’s app review team. The notice said Bitchat was removed from the China App Store in February and that, at the CAC’s request, the TestFlight version was no longer available. Dorsey said, "Bitchat has been taken down from the China App Store."

Apple reiterated its position that all apps listed on the App Store must comply with local laws and regulations in the countries where the service is offered. It said it is the developer’s responsibility to understand and follow legal requirements, even in complex matters. Apple said apps that encourage criminal or reckless behavior may be rejected during the review process.

Bitchat is a decentralised messaging service that works without an internet connection. It uses Bluetooth and mesh networks to enable direct device-to-device communication and features a P2P structure with end-to-end encryption. Its characteristics have reportedly driven increased use in some countries that have experienced internet controls or communications restrictions in recent months.

Chinese authorities took issue with the potential for "opinion formation and social mobilisation." The CAC determined that Bitchat violated relevant rules implemented in 2018. The rules require online services that can influence public opinion or enable social mobilisation to undergo a security assessment before launch and hold them accountable for the results.

Bitchat has been removed only in China and remains available in other countries. Download figures are also rising. Cumulative downloads on Chrome have surpassed 3 million, with about 92,000 added over the past week. Google Play has also recorded more than 1 million downloads.

In the industry, the move is being interpreted as a sign that clashes between decentralised technology and national regulations are coming to the fore. As P2P services operate without central servers, they are difficult to manage under existing regulatory systems, prompting suggestions that governments’ responses to similar services could intensify.