According to Wired, theCyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the country's national internet regulator and censor, has forced Apple to remove a pair of dating apps from the App Store. Reports that the apps, Blued and Finka, disappeared from the App Store and from the Google Play Store, turned up on Chinese social media sites this past weekend. These apps are two of the most popular gay dating apps in China and are still functioning for those who had already installed them on their phones.
Apple says it followed an order from the CAC to remove the apps from the App Store
China decriminalized homosexuality in the 1990s but same sex marriage has yet to be recognized. The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has recently put pressure on the LGBTQ+ community in the country, and this has led several gay rights organizations in the country to shut down. LGBTQ+ content and accounts on social media apps and sites have been censored.
The HeeSay app is available in the U.S. Google Play Store. | Image credit-PhoneArena
An Apple spokesman, responding via email, said, "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." Apple pointed out that the two apps have not been available in other countries for some time. The Apple spokesman added, "Earlier this year, the developer of Finka elected to remove the app from storefronts outside of China, and Blued was available only in China."
This summer Blued stop accepting new account registrations for one month
Most international LGBTQ+ dating apps have already been removed in China. For example, the Chinese App Store already removed Grindr in 2022. As for Blued, there had been warning signs indicating that something was going on. In July, without giving an explanation, Blued stopped taking new account registrations. Those in China desperate to get a Blued account paid as much as $20 for a secondhand Blued account that month. By. August, registrations were once again being accepted.
Should Apple have pulled the apps?
Yes. It might not have had any other option.
25%
No. Apple should have put up a fight.
75%
IIn 2020, Blued had over 49 million registered users and more than 6 million monthly active users. That same year, Blued parent company BlueCity said it was acquiring Blued's main rival Finka for approximately $33 million. BlueCity, which had gone public in China in 2020, was delisted two years later and was acquired by Hong Kong-listed social media firm Newborn Town.
It's still unclear whether the removal of Blued and Finka from China's app storefronts is permanent
At this stage, it isn't clear whether the removal of Blued and Finka is a temporary move or a permanent one. Some apps that have been pulled in the past did return to app storefronts after changes requested by the Cyberspace Administration of China were made.
It should be noted that last year, 2024, the international version of Blued was renamed HeeSay which became popular in India, Pakistan, and the Philippines. HeeSay remains available in some app stores in other countries including the U.S. where it can be downloaded from the App Store, and from the Google Play Store.
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Alan, an ardent smartphone enthusiast and a veteran writer at PhoneArena since 2009, has witnessed and chronicled the transformative years of mobile technology. Owning iconic phones from the original iPhone to the iPhone 15 Pro Max, he has seen smartphones evolve into a global phenomenon. Beyond smartphones, Alan has covered the emergence of tablets, smartwatches, and smart speakers.
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