Jack Dorsey's Bitchat App Takes Off in Nepal Amid Social Media Crackdown

Bitchat, Jack Dorsey’s new app, has seen downloads skyrocket in Nepal following widespread protests. This surge comes right as the Nepali government clamped down on major social platforms.

Civil unrest exploded in Kathmandu on October 1, 2025. The government had blocked 26 popular social media sites. Gen Z Nepalis took to the streets. They were angry. The government’s restrictions felt excessive.

Nepali Protesters Find a Digital Workaround

Things got heated on October 4. Protesters stormed Parliament and other government buildings. In the chaos, they discovered Bitchat. This app works through Bluetooth mesh technology and something called the Nostr protocol. No internet needed. It’s kind of like Bitcoin in its architecture—peer-to-peer, no central control.

Dorsey launched Bitchat on July 7. Just a personal project, he said. He wanted a communication tool that could survive when normal channels get shut down. Seems like he had situations exactly like Nepal’s in mind.

The Bitchat Protocol Whitepaper makes some bold claims. Messages stay private. Nobody can tamper with them. You can’t prove who sent what. Works even when bandwidth sucks.

Dorsey built the iOS version himself. He’s worth about $4 billion these days, still running Block (the company formerly called Square). The Android version? That came from someone named Calle. Not their real name, obviously. Calle made it work without requiring names, phone numbers, servers—anything.

When the Internet Goes Dark

Calle shared some interesting numbers. 48,000 downloads during the peak protests on October 3. That’s nearly 38% of all Bitchat installs. Ever.

“Last week, Indonesia. Now Nepal,” Calle wrote. “Freedom tech is for the people.”

In the worst scenarios, Bitchat might be the only way left to communicate. Normal apps need servers. They need networks. Bitchat just needs nearby phones with Bluetooth. This matters when governments cut access.

The parallel with Bitcoin isn’t accidental. Both resist censorship. Both work when authorities try to clamp down. Not entirely clear how widespread Bitchat’s adoption will become, but it’s filling a real need right now.

The app’s still evolving. Calle mentioned they’re adding Bitcoin functionality through something called Cashu. Users might soon send money alongside messages. Even an emoji could carry Bitcoin.

Seems like these protests are just the beginning for Bitchat.