{"id":19820,"date":"2026-01-14T08:41:57","date_gmt":"2026-01-14T08:41:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/bitchat-downloads-spike-in-uganda-as-voters-prepare-for-offline-elections\/"},"modified":"2026-01-14T08:42:16","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T08:42:16","slug":"bitchat-downloads-spike-in-uganda-as-voters-prepare-for-offline-elections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/bitchat-downloads-spike-in-uganda-as-voters-prepare-for-offline-elections\/","title":{"rendered":"Bitchat downloads spike in Uganda as voters prepare for offline elections"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"post-detail__content blocks\">\n<p class=\"is-style-lead\">Bitchat usage in Uganda has surged ahead of the country\u2019s presidential elections as locals resort to the app to bypass a nationwide internet blackout.<\/p>\n<div id=\"cn-block-summary-block_b53ef0f3b8c2cd4e35dba02655279465\" class=\"cn-block-summary\">\n<div class=\"cn-block-summary__nav tabs\">\n        <span class=\"tabs__item is-selected\">Summary<\/span>\n    <\/div>\n<div class=\"cn-block-summary__content\">\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Bitchat has become the most downloaded app in Uganda as a nationwide internet shutdown took effect ahead of the presidential election.<\/li>\n<li>Usage surged after opposition leader Bobi Wine urged supporters to install the app to maintain communication during the polling period.<\/li>\n<\/ul><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!-- .cn-block-summary --><\/p>\n<p>Bitchat downloads have soared in Uganda as locals turn to the decentralized application to stay connected using the internet-free encrypted messaging app that is powered by Bluetooth mesh networks.<\/p>\n<p>According to data from Appfigures, Bitchat has become the most downloaded app on both the Apple App Store and <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/appfigures.com\/top-apps\/google-play\/uganda\/communication\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Google Play Store<\/a> in Uganda, while other tools such as Virtual Private Network apps have also emerged as popular alternatives.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-full\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Bitchat has become the top free app on the Apple App store | Source: <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/appfigures.com\/top-apps\/ios-app-store\/uganda\/iphone\/top-overall\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\">Appfigures<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Elections are underway in Uganda, and this is the third time internet access has been cut off ahead of voting, even though Uganda Communications Commission executive director Nyombi Thembo said last week that connectivity wouldn\u2019t be shut down.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- .cn-block-related-link --><\/p>\n<p>At the time, Thembo also took aim at Bitchat, even warning that his team had the technical capacity to shut down the app.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe know how it can be made not to work. Don\u2019t be excited by Bitchat, it\u2019s a small thing,\u201d Thembo said.<\/p>\n<p>However, a Bitchat developer going by the name Calle argued that due to the app\u2019s decentralized nature, it would be difficult to take down.<\/p>\n<p>Calle also shared internal data, which suggested that the app was downloaded over 400,000 times.<\/p>\n<h1 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bitchat usage across the globe<\/h1>\n<p>Bitchat usage in the country started picking up pace last month after opposition candidate Bobi Wine, who is going up against long-time President Yoweri Museveni, urged locals to download the app as an act of resistance against potential internet disruptions.<\/p>\n<p>Bitchat has gained attention as a tool for communication during periods of political unrest ever since Jack Dorsey pushed out a beta version of the app back in July 2025.<\/p>\n<p>It first came under the spotlight during mass protests in Nepal and subsequently in Madagascar. Meanwhile, it surged in popularity in Jamaica after Hurricane Melissa crippled local infrastructure.<\/p>\n<p>    <!-- .cn-block-related-link --><\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bitchat usage in Uganda has surged ahead of the country\u2019s presidential elections as locals resort to the app to bypass a nationwide internet blackout. Summary Bitchat has become the most&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17154,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-19820","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cryptocurrency"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19820","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=19820"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19820\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19821,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/19820\/revisions\/19821"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17154"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=19820"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=19820"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bitunikey.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=19820"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}