bitchat downloads in Nepal surged to 48,781 after a short-lived social media ban and youth-led protests, as users turned to decentralized, Bluetooth mesh messaging to avoid censorship and surveillance—highlighting rising demand for encrypted, serverless “freedom tech.”
48,781 downloads recorded in Nepal on the spike day
Downloads rose from ~3,344 to 48,781, outpacing Indonesia’s 11,324.
Protests and a temporary ban on Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and YouTube drove rapid adoption.
bitchat downloads Nepal surge to 48,781 amid social media ban; learn why decentralized messaging matters—read the full analysis and next steps.
Thousands of Nepalis adopted Jack Dorsey’s Bluetooth mesh messaging app, bitchat, after a short social media ban amid anti-government protests, forcing renewed attention on decentralized, offline communication tools.
Over 48,000 people in Nepal downloaded the peer-to-peer messaging app bitchat during a surge tied to nationwide protests and a temporary government ban on mainstream social platforms.
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The surge followed a similar but smaller spike in Indonesia the prior week, according to open-source developer callebtc, who is publicly involved in bitchat development. Publicly available charts shared by callebtc show Nepal downloads rising from fewer than 3,344 to 48,781 within days, while Indonesia recorded 11,324 downloads during its peak.
Source: Callebtc
The download spike coincided with a short-lived ban blocking Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp and YouTube. The ban prompted Gen Z–led demonstrations that escalated into violent clashes, including arson at state buildings.
Security forces responded with live fire and tear gas, resulting in at least 19 reported fatalities and hundreds of injuries. The protests centered on corruption allegations against then–Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli, who resigned amid the unrest.
Source: Anonymous
What triggered the spike in bitchat downloads in Nepal?
The spike in bitchat downloads in Nepal was driven by a short social media ban and large-scale youth protests, prompting users to adopt a Bluetooth mesh, serverless messaging app to bypass censorship. Front-line reports and developer charts show downloads jumped to 48,781 during the ban.
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bitchat uses Bluetooth mesh networking to enable encrypted, internet-free peer-to-peer messaging. The system is fully decentralized, with no central servers, accounts, phone numbers, or registration requirements, according to the project white paper.
The lack of centralized infrastructure makes bitchat more resilient to state-imposed platform shutdowns, enabling local message propagation between nearby devices even when cellular or internet access is restricted.
Developer updates from callebtc note similar adoption patterns in Indonesia and Nepal during protest periods, pointing to a practical use case: censorship-resistant local communication when mainstream platforms are unavailable.
Users are increasingly adopting decentralized, encrypted messaging apps to protect privacy and avoid platform censorship. Centralized platforms like Messenger and WhatsApp are operated by large corporations (Meta) that depend on centralized servers and user-identifying data, making them vulnerable to state-level restrictions.
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