Photo: Photo: Ian Moore/Lifehacker Composite; Tea Dating Advice Inc. / Lindsay Ellefson
Although it doesn't give me any pleasure, it's time to discuss the Tea and TeaOnHer viral apps again. You may remember them from the summer when Tea, where women could anonymously rate and discuss men under the guise of helping each other date safely, became the target of data breaches that exposed users' personal information. After this, the TeaOnHer app for men and tea was launched. faced a class action lawsuit from users who were upset that their personal data was easily accessible to hackers. Whether you remember them or not, they seem to have disappeared now. Apple removed them from the App Store.
Removing Tea and TeaOnHer from the App Store
Tea was born about two years earlier. suddenly went viral in Julywhich led to at least two different data breaches, the second of which occurred when a data expert discovered that not only were some users' images stored in an unsecured manner, but there were some private personal messages too.
One of the reasons the app went so viral in the first place was because a lot of people didn't like the idea of it. It functioned like Yelp, but instead of leaving reviews for businesses, women could leave reviews for men. The men had no recourse or due process; they couldn't even access the application, let alone respond to anything said about them. (Women were given access by uploading ID photos or ID selfies, and it was this treasure trove of ID photos that was initially hacked and leaked online.)
Some people felt this was unfair, while others saw an opportunity to capitalize on the discontent. Tea on herAn app with the same goal, but aimed at men, appeared on the App Store about two weeks after the Tea hack. The privacy debate continued, but both apps remained in the Apple App Store. Until now.
Apple confirmed by TechCrunch that the apps were removed because they did not meet the company's requirements for user privacy and content moderation. Of course, if you search for apps in the App Store, nothing will appear. Well, except for a bunch of impostors trying to make the most of the absence of Ti and TOH. Something called “Tea On Her & Him – Overheard” is currently the second most popular free app in the Lifestyle category.
Can I still drink tea?
Tea not yet removed from Google Playso you can still access it on Android. What's more, if you already had Tea installed on your iPhone, it still works—for now.
When news of the DM hack broke over the summer, Thea responded by closing the DM and making it clear in the app. During the news cycle at the time, the app posted public messages on its Instagram page. There is no mention of the App Store removal on the app or on social media, but a representative emailed me: “We are aware that the Tea app has been removed from the App Store and are working to respond to Apple's feedback. We know what this app means to our more than six million users and remain deeply committed to our mission of helping women navigate dating with confidence.”
