India fuels Bitchat's global rise despite takedown order

NEW DELHI: Bitchat, the internet-free messaging app at the centre of a govt crackdown, has continued to gain traction in India despite authorities ordering GitHub to remove its source code repository and civil liberty groups challenging the move as unconstitutional.Bitchat, founded by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, allows users to message without any internet using Bluetooth mesh networks.New data from Appfigures shows India accounted for 53% of Bitchat's estimated over 1.2 lakh global downloads over the 30 days ending July 24. The app generated an estimated 65,462 downloads in India during the period, with virtually all of them - 65,435 installs - coming in just the final seven days, underscoring the speed of its rise.The surge gathered pace after July 20. Daily downloads in India climbed from 291 on July 19 to 946 on July 20, before jumping to 8,759 on July 21, 21,508 on July 22 and peaking at 28,574 on July 23. During the latest seven-day period, India contributed 84% of Bitchat's global downloads, as per data shared by Appfigures with TOI.The latest figures, which build on Sensor Tower data reported earlier, revealed daily active users crossing 3.3 lakh. The app has also retained strong visibility on app stores, reaching No. 7 among iPhone social networking apps in India by July 24, up from No. 46 on July 20.On Google Play, it climbed to No. 23 among communication apps after first appearing in the rankings only on July 22. Android accounted for about 76% of the app's Indian downloads.The Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF), however, has criticised the order, arguing that it amounts to an unconstitutional restriction on access to open-source software and raises concerns over transparency and due process.Get the latest Business News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.