Apple has removed two of China’s most popular gay dating apps—Blued and Finka—from the iOS App Store in China after receiving an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the country’s internet regulator.
“We follow the laws of the countries where we operate,” Apple said, adding the removals apply only to the China storefront.
Reports indicate the apps remain usable for people who already installed them, and a lighter “Express/Lite” version of Blued is still available via some Chinese app marketplaces.
The removals come amid a tightening environment for LGBTQ+ platforms and civil-society groups, despite homosexuality having been decriminalised in 1997 and the ongoing absence of legal recognition for same-sex marriage.
Blued, launched in 2012 and long regarded as China’s largest gay social app, acquired rival Finka in 2020 under its then-parent BlueCity. BlueCity was later taken private and became part of Hong Kong–listed Newborn Town in 2023.
Apple’s step follows earlier actions affecting LGBTQ+ apps in China: Grindr disappeared from major app stores there in January 2022 amid a broader content crackdown.
Separately, Chinese authorities in recent years have introduced stricter app-filing rules that have led to the removal of many unregistered apps.
Apple operates a distinct App Store for mainland China and routinely withholds or removes services in line with local regulations. The company did not say whether Blued and Finka could return.
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