Alternatives outside Apple and Google
Bitchat is also not the only messaging or software option outside the control of Apple and Google.
GrapheneOS is an open-source, security-focused version of Android designed for Google Pixel phones. It does not ship with Google services by default, although users can install them in a sandbox.
LineageOS, a widely used community-built Android operating system, supports a much wider range of devices, including older and mid-range phones. Because it does not ship with Google’s mobile services, it is not affected by Google’s developer-verification requirements in the same way as certified devices using Google Mobile Services.
Other alternatives include /e/OS, which provides phones with a de-Googled operating system, as well as mobile Linux distributions such as postmarketOS and Ubuntu Touch.
There are also messaging applications designed to function outside conventional internet infrastructure. Briar, for instance, allows users to communicate over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi without the internet and can use Tor when an internet connection is available. It is distributed through F-Droid, an alternative app repository for free and open-source software.
Who does the removal affect?
The government’s stated concern, according to the July notice, is that applications such as Bitchat can make lawful interception and investigation more difficult.
Removing the application from two major app stores and blocking its website, however, does not necessarily eliminate access for users who have the technical knowledge or resources to find alternatives.
Android users can sideload the application, while iPhone users with App Store accounts registered in other countries may still be able to download it. The application’s source code is also publicly available, while other applications offer similar forms of offline communication.
The result could therefore be that restrictions impose a greater burden on ordinary users than on those determined to circumvent them.
Most users do not unlock bootloaders, install alternative operating systems or sideload applications. Such processes can carry practical risks, including voiding warranties or rendering a phone unusable if performed incorrectly. Custom operating systems can also create compatibility problems with banking and UPI applications.
For such users, access to a messaging application may depend entirely on whether it remains available through the default app store.
That means the people most affected could include students at a protest where mobile internet has been suspended, people living in areas under an internet shutdown who need to contact family members, or ordinary users who simply rely on the software distribution system built into their phones.
The restriction may therefore make access to Bitchat considerably harder for the average user without necessarily making the technology inaccessible to those with the motivation and technical means to circumvent the block.
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