Apple Removes Top Gay Dating Apps In China After Government Order

• Apple confirmed that it removed Blued and Finka from its App Store in the country.
• The popular gay dating app Grindr was banned in the country in 2022.
• Apple is working to re-ignite sales in China and roll out long-awaited AI functionality on local Apple devices, following its disappointing performance in the country last quarter.

Apple, Inc. has removed two of the most popular gay dating apps in China following a government order, the company told CNBC. 

The confirmation comes as reports circulated on social media that Blued and Finka, both operated out of China, had disappeared from Apple’s App Store and various Android app stores over the weekend, according to Wired.

Blued, Finka Removed

“Based on an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China, we have removed these two apps from the China storefront only,” Apple said in the statement to the news network. 

The iPhone maker defended its position, stating that it must comply with local laws and that the apps had already been unavailable in other countries.

Grindr, one of the world’s top gay dating apps, operated by a U.S. company, was removed from the App Store in 2022 following a similar government directive.

According to CNBC, in 2023, Beijing announced new policies requiring all apps serving local users to register with the government and obtain licenses—a move that resulted in a wave of foreign apps being removed from the App Store over the course of that year and into 2024.

Although homosexuality was decriminalized in China in 1997, same-sex marriage remains unrecognized. 

The China Hurdle

China remains a crucial market for Apple, though its iPhone has been losing ground to Android rivals offering advanced specs and AI-driven features. Earlier this year, Apple announced a partnership with Alibaba Group to bring the latter’s AI services to iPhones and other Apple devices in China, but the consumer rollout is still pending.

In Apple’s last quarter, revenue from Mainland China, which includes Hong Kong and Taiwan, fell 3.6%, well short of analysts’ expectations.

However, there are some encouraging signs. Early sales of the iPhone 17 series surpassed those of the previous series in both China and the home market, the U.S., according to Counterpoint Research. The new models out-sold the iPhone 16 line by 14% in the first 10 days of the launch.

The AAPL stock declined 0.1% in Tuesday’s premarket sessions. It has gained 7.6% year-to-date.

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