Apple deleted two most popular dating apps for gays in China from the App Store after receiving an order from the main Internet regulator of China and censorship authorityWIRED has learned. The move comes after reports of Blued and Finka's disappearance from the iOS App Store and several Android app stores circulated on Chinese social media over the weekend. It looks like the apps are still working for users in the country who already have them downloaded.
“We comply with the laws of the countries in which we operate. Based on orders from the Cyberspace Administration of China, we have removed these two apps from the China store only,” an Apple spokesperson said in an email. Apple clarified that the apps have not been available in other countries for some time. “Earlier this year, developer Finka decided to remove the app from storefronts outside of China, and Blued was only available in China.”
Most international LGBTQ+ dating apps are already blocked in China. Grindr was deleted from Apple's Chinese App Store in 2022.
China decriminalized homosexuality in the 1990s, but the government does not recognize same-sex marriage. China's LGBTQ+ community has become increasingly active in recent years. be under pressure as the Chinese Communist Party tightens its control over civil society and freedom of expression. Several prominent gay rights organizations in China have closed their doors, and social media companies now frequently censor LGBTQ+ content and accounts.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Blued abruptly stopped registering new users without explanation in July, according to posts on Chinese social media. Within a month, Chinese users who wanted to get on the platform paid up to $20 for used Blued accounts on e-commerce sites. But registration resumed in mid-August.
In 2020, BlueCity, Blued's parent company, went public. It was announced that the application has more 49 million registered users and over 6 million monthly active users. That same year, BlueCity said it was acquiring Finka, its main competitor in China, for approximately $33 million. The company delisted in 2022 and was acquired by Newborn Town, a social media company registered in Hong Kong. Most of Blued's longtime employees, including founder Ma Baoli, left the company after the acquisition, said a former Blued employee who asked not to be named for privacy reasons.
