Apple removes two gay dating apps in China after government order

Apple has pulled two of China’s biggest gay dating apps, Blue and Finka, in the latest sign of a tightening grip on the LGBTQ+ community from Chinese authorities.

An Apple spokesperson said the company was removing two dating apps from China “on orders from the Cyberspace Administration of China” “according to China’s Cyberspace Administration Rule,” without further elaboration.

“The spokespeople told the Associated Press that we follow the laws in the countries where we operate,” he said.

A check by Associated Press on Tuesday found that the two apps are no longer available on Apple’s App Store in China, but the “Express” version can still be found. It didn’t matter if the difference is between the full and open versions or if there is an Android version.

Black was “only available in China,” the company added. Finca’s developer “elected to remove the app” outside of China earlier this year, the company added.

Another popular gay dating app, Grindr, was pulled from Apple’s App Store in China in 2022.

China’s LGBTQ+ community and advocacy groups are intensifying government crackdowns despite the country’s crackdown on homosexuality in 1997. Some LGBTQ+ groups have been forced to cease operations and activity has been restricted in China in recent years.

Blue and Finka share the same parent company, BlueCity, a China-based company that focuses on the LGBTQ+ community in China and abroad. In 2022, BlueCity was delisted from NASDAQ when it was taken private.

Last year, Apple was reported to have removed WhatsApp and apps including WhatsApp and its themes from the App Store in China as part of an Order by China’s cyberspace administration.

“Of all the foreign tech companies that provide services to Chinese users, Apple is probably the one that wants to comply with Chinese Internet regulations the most,” said George Chen, co-head of digital practice at Partner, Partner and Asia group.

Apple “rarely includes the Chinese markets,” Chen added, because it is “very important” to them.

-Han Ho-ona, AP business writer

AP writers Kelvin Chan and Kanis Leung contributed to this story.