Apple has pulled two of China’s biggest gay dating apps, Blued and Finka, from its App Store after receiving a takedown order from China’s main internet regulator, the Cyberspace Administration of China. The move, first reported by WIRED, follows days of Chinese social-media chatter noting the apps’ disappearance from iOS and several Android stores—though both are still functional for users who previously downloaded them.
According to an Apple spokesperson, “We follow the laws in the countries where we operate. Based on an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China, we have removed these two apps from the China storefront only.” The company added that the apps have already been unavailable in other regions. Most international LGBTQ+ dating platforms are already blocked in China. Grindr vanished from Apple’s China store in 2022. The latest removals come amid intensifying pressure on China’s queer community, with rights groups shuttered and social-media platforms increasingly censoring queer content.
