Messaging app Bitchat takes off in India amid government crackdown
What's the story
Bitchat, the messaging app founded by ex-Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, has witnessed a huge surge in popularity in India. The app lets users send messages without internet access using Bluetooth mesh networks. Despite a recent government crackdown that saw GitHub ordered to take down its source code repository, Bitchat's growth trajectory has remained strong.
Download statistics
Over 65,000 installs in India in last 30 days
According to Appfigures data, India accounted for 53% of Bitchat's estimated 1.2 lakh-plus global downloads in the 30 days ending July 24.
The app was downloaded about 65,462 times in India during this period.
Almost all installs, 65,435, came in just the last seven days, showing how quickly it's been gaining traction among Indian users.
Growth spurt
Daily downloads surged to over 28,000
The growth of Bitchat really picked up after July 20.
Daily downloads in India jumped from 291 on July 19 to 946 on July 20, then skyrocketed to 8,759 on July 21, and reached a peak of 28,574 on July 23.
In the most recent seven-day period, India accounted for an 84% of Bitchat's global downloads.
App performance
Bitchat's rise on app store rankings
Bitchat has also maintained a strong presence on app stores.
As of July 24, it was ranked number seven among iPhone social networking apps in India, up from No. 46 on July 20.
On Google Play Store, the app debuted in the rankings only on July 22 but quickly climbed to No. 23 among communication apps, with Android accounting for about 76% of its Indian downloads.
Controversy
Controversy surrounding Bitchat's takedown and IFF's stance
The Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF) has criticized the government's order to take down Bitchat's source code repository. The IFF argues that this is an unconstitutional restriction on access to open-source software and raises questions about transparency and due process.