Overview
- Dorsey, who posted Apple’s notice Sunday, said the delisting happened in February and also cut off TestFlight access in China.
- The Cyberspace Administration of China cited Article 3, which covers services that can shape public opinion or enable social mobilization and requires a security assessment.
- Apple’s action blocks new iPhone downloads in China but does not disable existing copies, since Bitchat passes messages over a local Bluetooth mesh without using the internet and has kept protesters connected during shutdowns.
- The app remains available in other countries and its audience is growing, with more than three million total downloads and over 92,000 in the past week, including more than one million on Google Play.
- Apple told developers they must ensure local legal compliance, highlighting a clash between anti-censorship tools and China’s tightly managed communications system.