Apple removed the popular gay dating apps Blued and Finka from its China App Store after receiving an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China. The decision, confirmed by Apple as compliance with local law, is seen as a setback for China’s LGBTQ+ community, which still lacks many legal protections. Grindr was also removed in 2022, and users report the apps may still work on devices where they were already installed. The move underscores tension between Apple’s public support for LGBTQ+ rights and its need to follow local regulations.
Apple Pulls Blued and Finka from China’s App Store After Regulator Order
Apple removed the popular gay dating apps Blued and Finka from its China App Store after receiving an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China. The decision, confirmed by Apple as compliance with local law, is seen as a setback for China’s LGBTQ+ community, which still lacks many legal protections. Grindr was also removed in 2022, and users report the apps may still work on devices where they were already installed. The move underscores tension between Apple’s public support for LGBTQ+ rights and its need to follow local regulations.
01:36 AM, 11/11/2025Society
Apple removes two major gay dating apps from China’s App Store
Apple has removed two of China’s largest gay dating apps, Blued and Finka, from its China App Store after receiving an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), multiple reports say. The removals were reported by Wired and described by The China Project as affecting two of the country’s most widely used LGBTQ+ dating services.
"We follow the laws in the countries where we operate. Based on an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China, we have removed these two apps from the China storefront only," an Apple spokesperson said.
The move is widely seen as a setback for China’s marginalised LGBTQ+ community, which faces legal and cultural restrictions despite homosexuality being decriminalised in 1997. Same-sex marriage remains unrecognised in China, and domestic censorship rules limit the portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters and storylines in film and television.
Grindr, another prominent LGBTQ+ dating app, was removed from Apple’s China App Store in 2022. Social media users have reported that Blued and Finka continue to function on devices where they were already installed, but the apps are no longer available to download from the China storefront.
Apple CEO Tim Cook, who publicly came out in a 2014 personal essay, has often spoken about the perspective his experience brought him. In that essay he wrote:
"Being gay has given me a deeper understanding of what it means to be in the minority and provided a window into the challenges that people in other minority groups deal with every day."The company presents itself as a defender of human rights and equality while also stating it must comply with local laws in the countries where it operates.
Apple has previously signalled support for LGBTQ+ communities through initiatives such as "Pride Edition" accessories and donations to advocacy groups, but the recent removals highlight the tensions global tech firms face when balancing corporate values with regulatory demands in different markets.