The downloading of BitChat reportedly rose in Uganda as locals resort to using a decentralised application to stay connected using the internet-free encrypted messaging app that is powered by Bluetooth mesh networks.
Bitchat is now the top downloaded software on Uganda’s Google Play Store and Apple software Store, according to data from Appfigures. However, other tools like Virtual Private Network apps have also become well-liked substitutes.
However, the Ugandan government, through the executive director of the Uganda Communications Commission, Nyombi Thembo warned that his team had the ability to shut down Bitchat.
“We know how it can be made not to work. Don’t be excited by Bitchat, it is a small thing,” Thembo said.
However, Calle, a Bitchat developer, contended that it would be challenging to remove the programme because of its decentralised structure.
Additionally, Calle disclosed internal statistics indicating that the application was downloaded more than 400,000 times.
On Wednesday morning, Uganda’s opposition leader Robert Kyagulanyi, popularly known as Bobi Wine, had insinuated in a statement he shared on X that some Ugandans had managed to stay connected to the internet despite the government shutdown.
Wine, who is vying against President Yoweri Museveni for the second time, has protested the government’s decision to shut off the internet, arguing it is a clear sign of a regime that is in panic mode and hellbent on using unorthodox means to rig itself back to power.
“All those in Uganda who can bypass the criminal regime’s internet blockade – big up yourselves! Pass around the message. Let everyone know how to do it. They cut off the internet to hide rigging and atrocities. Record everything and share with the world,” he stated.
After opposition candidate Bobi Wine, who is running against longtime President Yoweri Museveni, encouraged citizens to download the software as a form of protest against possible internet disruptions, BitChat usage in the nation began to pick up speed last month.
Since Jack Dorsey released a test version of the software back in July 2025, Bitchat has drawn attention as a communication tool amid times of political unrest.
Additional reportage by Crypto.news