Apple Removes Bitchat App in China Amid Regulation Push

 

Apple has removed Bitchat, a decentralized peer-to-peer messaging app, from its App Store in China for allegedly violating the country’s internet service regulations.

 

In a Sunday post on X, Jack Dorsey, former CEO and co-founder of Twitter, now known as X, shared a screenshot he received from Apple’s review team in February informing him about the removal of his Bitchat app from the China App Store.

 

 

The removal of the app follows a request from the Cyberspace Administration of China, the main government agency in China responsible for controlling and regulating the internet. The Cyberspace Administration of China alleges that Bitchat violates Article 3 of the Provisions on the Security Assessment of Internet-based Information Services, one of the agency’s key internet compliance rules.

 

Since its launch in July 2025, the Bitchat app has grown increasingly popular, especially in regions affected by unrest. Madagascar, Nepal, and Uganda have each recorded several tens of thousands of downloads when the governments of these countries shut down internet service during times of civil crisis. Google Play Store has also recorded over one million downloads, with a user rating above four out of five.

 

China considers blockchain-based lending for traditional finance

Despite the ban on Bitchat and China’s strict rules on digital assets and crypto-related activities, the country continues to push forward with blockchain-based innovation and development.

 

Recently, two of China’s core tax and financial regulators, the State Taxation Administration and the National Financial Regulatory Administration, have urged banks and other financial institutions to incorporate blockchain technology into their lending and credit services. The agencies reiterated the benefits of blockchain in standardizing data and improving transparency among tax authorities, banks, and enterprises.

 

This recommendation aligns with the National Development and Reform Commission’s goal of integrating blockchain into key national infrastructure. In January 2025, the commission, one of China’s top economic planning bodies, released a blockchain-powered data infrastructure roadmap. The plan aims to leverage blockchain technology to build a national digital data infrastructure that could attract about 400 billion yuan, or 58 billion dollars, in investments each year.

 

The commission is currently in the first phase of the roadmap, which focuses on developing core blockchain infrastructure and establishing standardized protocols. The next stages will involve integrating and scaling these blockchain protocols across different sectors of the country’s infrastructure.