Oops, Google Did It Again: Suspends Jack Dorsey’s Bitchat

Just last week, the tech giant apologized for accidentally banning non-custodial crypto wallets because of a poorly worded Google Play Store policy update.

Google’s Bitchat Suspension Sparks Backlash, Again

Former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey successfully published his Bluetooth messaging app Bitchat, in Apple’s App Store last month, but the Android version has been suspended by the Google Play Store for profanity, according to a Sunday message by pseudonymous developer Calle. This is the second time in less than a week that Google has drawn the ire of the crypto community.

Last Wednesday, an article published by The Rage uncovered sloppy language in the new Google Play Store policy that required all crypto wallets on the platform to have government licensing and registration, a move that would have effectively banned all non-custodial wallets. But Google quickly apologized for the mishap and quelled rumors of a “crypto coup.”

But now, it appears the Mountain View, California tech behemoth has once again dropped the ball, pulling Bitchat from the Google Play Store on allegations of vulgarity regarding the messaging app’s name.

“You must be kidding me right Google Play?” Calle posted on X. “After weeks of complying with their requests, now they’ve decided to remove ‘Bitchat’ for profanity!”

Calle, a physicist known for his work on Cashu, a Bitcoin ecash protocol, details the ordeal he went through trying to publish Bitchat on Android. First, an impersonator app was accidentally accepted, garnering approximately 100,000 downloads. But ironically, when the authentic version was submitted, it was rejected five times, according to Calle.

“I tried to submit the real Bitchat app 5 times,” Calle explained. Apparently, Google told him “You need twelve testers for two weeks before you can publish anything.” Despite the multiple rejections, he continued resubmitting Bitchat, sometimes leveraging his followers to berate Google for their seemingly frivolous rationale. But the profanity accusation seemed to strike a nerve with Calle, although to be a fair, the name “Bitchat” does contain a vulgar word.

Google and Calle were still at an impasse at the time of this writing, and the frustration conveyed by the Cashu creator on X is palpable. “This is the worst experience I’ve ever had,” Calle vented. “Do you need friends at Google to publish an app?”

To Google’s credit, the firm responded on Monday, assuring Calle it had “escalated” the issue and that one of its teams was looking into the matter.