Apple has just pulled controversial dating safety apps Tea and TeaOnHer from the App Store. These two apps have been taken off the App Store in all markets, apparently.
Apple removes Tea and TeaOnHer dating safety apps from the App Store
Apple has confirmed to TechCrunch that these two apps have been removed from the App Store. According to the Cupertino tech giant, this was done because the apps didn't meet Apple's criteria for content moderation and user privacy.
The company says that it noticed an excessive number of complaints from users and negative reviews. Some of the complaints also indicated that minors' personal information was being posted on these apps.
Apparently, Apple has communicated the issues to the developers of the apps. However, reportedly, the complaints were not addressed.
Apple cites violations of its App Review Guidelines, and more specifically, rules 1.2, 5.1.2, and 5.6. The first rule says that user-generated content should offer reporting or blocking features. The second rule says that the app cannot use or share a user's personal information without permission.
Image Credit - PhoneArena
Rule 5.6 says that if there are excessive customer reports and negative reviews, those would violate Apple's Developer Code of Conduct.
How do you feel about Apple removing these apps?
Glad — privacy matters
33.33%
Meh — not my apps anyway
66.67%
Frustrated — I used them
0%
Curious — what will replace them?
0%
Tea and TeaOnHer are dating safety apps that became popular recently
These two apps have been in the headlines this year, after going viral earlier. Tea had existed since 2023, but it really picked up steam in 2025. It was advertised as a dating safety tool for women, something similar to Facebook Groups of the type "Are We Dating the Same Guy?".
Basically, the app encouraged women to share details about men on dating apps. Unfortunately, this included their personal information, Yelp-like reviews, and whether a given person was a "green flag" or a "red flag".
Understandably, many men didn't appreciate the app's invasion of their privacy. Some even considered whether sharing information this way could be deemed defamatory.
Back in the summer, Tea suffered a data breach with malicious users gaining access to 72,000 images, including 4,000 selfies and photo IDs that were used for account verification. Meanwhile, 59,000 images were from posts, comments, and even direct messages.
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A bit later, TeaOnHer, a Tea rival app, appeared. This one was intended for men to share their experiences with women, similarly to Tea. It had plenty of security issues, and users' personal information had also been exposed. That included government IDs and selfies.
The tea app was downloaded 6.1 million times over its lifetime, and had reportedly generated $5 million in gross revenue until now. On the other hand, TeaOnHer had 2.2 million downloads and didn't offer in-app purchases.
Curiously enough, both apps are still available for download on the Google Play Store at the time of writing.
Meanwhile, with these two removed from the App Store, copies of them are starting to appear. There's a new app now called TeaOnHer and Him – Overheard, which has been downloaded 354,000 times. It has jumped from number 90 in the Overall Top App Charts to number 27.
Some apps are shady when it comes to privacy
These aren't the only apps that have questionable privacy policies, in my opinion. There are plenty of shady apps both on the App Store and in Google Play, and users should be really careful which apps they choose to use. For me, I'll pass on these ones.
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Izzy, a tech enthusiast and a key part of the PhoneArena team, specializes in delivering the latest mobile tech news and finding the best tech deals. Her interests extend to cybersecurity, phone design innovations, and camera capabilities. Outside her professional life, Izzy, a literature master's degree holder, enjoys reading, painting, and learning languages. She's also a personal growth advocate, believing in the power of experience and gratitude. Whether it's walking her Chihuahua or singing her heart out, Izzy embraces life with passion and curiosity.
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