Jack Dorsey-linked Bitchat tops France’s App Store social networking chart, after being removed in India
Bitchat (shown in the App Store as bitchat mesh) topped the download chart in the social networking category on the France App Store around October 22 to 23, 2026, and entered the top ten overall free apps. The app was developed by a team associated with Jack Dorsey and had previously been removed from app stores in India in October 2026.
The app uses a Bluetooth mesh network to enable offline communication: no internet, Wi-Fi or mobile number is needed, and no account registration is required, while nearby devices can relay messages. Private messages support end-to-end encryption and can extend their reach through the Nostr protocol when there is network connectivity. Reports said the surge in downloads was related to the October 17 cost-of-living protests in France, some violent incidents and an Orange mobile network outage that lasted nearly 10 hours.
Original sources:
Title: Jack Dorsey's Bitchat Becomes France's Top Social App Amid Riots and Mobile Network Outage Publisher: Gizmodo Publication date: 2026-10-23 URL：https://gizmodo.com/jack-dorseys-bitchat-becomes-frances-top-social-app-amid-riots-and-mobile-network-outage-2000829670 Source nature: media report Verification status: relevant passages read for this reading; accessed on 2026-10-25 Supporting content: No. 1 in the France App Store social chart, background of protests and network outage, Bluetooth mesh description.
Title: Bitchat : l’app de messagerie sans compte ni serveur, devient numéro 1 des réseaux sociaux sur l’App Store en France Publisher: iGeneration Publication date: 2026-10-22 URL：https://www.igen.fr/app-store/2026/10/bitchat-lapplication-de-messagerie-sans-compte-ni-serveur-devient-numero-1-sur-lapp-store-en-france-158859 Source nature: media report Verification status: relevant passages read for this reading; accessed on 2026-10-25 Supporting content: No. 1 on the France social chart, no account and no server, Bluetooth communication.
Title: What is Bitchat, Jack Dorsey’s offline messaging app banned in India? Publisher: Firstpost Publication date: 2026-10-08 URL：https://www.firstpost.com/explainers/what-is-bitchat-jack-dorseys-offline-messaging-app-banned-in-india-14051308.html Source nature: media report Verification status: relevant passages read for this reading; accessed on 2026-10-25 Supporting content: removed in India, Bluetooth mesh and no-account features.
ABAB AI Insight
The app’s technical features (Bluetooth mesh, no account, no central server) make it usable in scenarios involving mobile network outages or restrictions. The peak in downloads in France came after the protests and carrier outage, with a different timeline from the path in India, where downloads rose during protests before the app was removed.
Public reporting did not provide independently audited data on the strength of end-to-end encryption, nor did it verify the actual coverage range in dense crowds. Offline relay functionality related to Bitcoin appears in some descriptions, but the main reports verified here did not detail it as a core feature.
This event records the app store ranking and download backdrop at a specific point in time and does not constitute an independent assessment of the app’s long-term user base or technical reliability. The follow-up points are continued ranking changes in France or other regions, and whether there will be further app store removals or discussion of network restrictions.
ABAB News · Laws of cognition
Offline mesh apps can see download spikes in scenarios involving network outages.
Changes in app store rankings can occur in sequence with protests or outage events.
No-account Bluetooth communication features can be publicly described as a way to bypass central networks.