Bitchat surges in France

In mid-October 2026, the messaging app Bitchat, created by Jack Dorsey, the co-founder of Twitter, reached the top of the App Store rankings in France during a time of social unrest.

French telecoms face challenges

French telecommunications providers faced several challenges during this period, including a major network outage that affected Orange and Sosh subscribers for nearly ten hours on October 21. This was the third significant incident for the operator in a year.

Protests and arrests

Four days before the outage, hundreds of thousands of people protested against the high cost of living, leading to unrest and over 1,800 arrests. This environment of tension contributed to the growing popularity of Bitchat.

Bitchat's unique features

Bitchat's success is attributed to its unique feature of connecting phones directly through Bluetooth, without antennas, servers, or accounts. This made it an attractive alternative for users seeking more control over their communication.

Government responses to social media

Gabriel Attal, former Prime Minister, mentioned temporary and targeted blocks of social media platforms in areas affected by riots. Interior Minister Laurent Nuñez criticized the problematic role of these platforms during the unrest.

Users turn to Bitchat

Fearing a loss of access to usual communication methods, many users turned to Bitchat as a reliable and decentralized alternative during the period of instability.