Apple has removed Blued and Finka, two of China’s largest LGBTQ+ dating apps, from its App Store in the country, Wired reports. The removal was carried out in compliance with an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the country’s internet regulator and censorship body.
An Apple spokesperson stated that the company must “follow the laws in the countries where we operate” and confirmed the apps were removed “from the China storefront only.” The apps were reportedly also pulled from certain Android app stores. Both Blued and Finka were available exclusively in China; Blued’s international version operates under the name HeeSay.
The removal is the latest in a series of crackdowns on LGBTQ+ rights and online spaces in China. In 2022, the popular dating app Grindr was removed from Apple’s Chinese App Store. In 2023, the prominent advocacy group Beijing LGBT Center was also allegedly forced to shut down.
Blued had previously suspended new user registrations in July for unknown reasons, which led to users buying second-hand accounts. The app reopened registrations in mid-August. Both Blued and Finka are owned by the same parent company, BlueCity, which is, in turn, owned by Newborn Town. In addition to its social apps, BlueCity also operates a non-profit in the healthcare sector dedicated to HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment.
