Two leading gay-dating apps, Blued and Finka, were removed from Apple’s China App Store and local Android marketplaces after a notice from Chinese regulators, according to Apple and reporting by Wired and CNN. Sources say the delistings were linked to compliance concerns and accusations of "vulgar" content. Blued’s international version remains available abroad, while Finka serves mainly domestic users. Observers view the removals as part of a wider tightening of online and LGBTQ+ spaces in China.
China Removes Two Leading Gay-Dating Apps from Local App Stores Amid Broader Online Crackdown
Two leading gay-dating apps, Blued and Finka, were removed from Apple’s China App Store and local Android marketplaces after a notice from Chinese regulators, according to Apple and reporting by Wired and CNN. Sources say the delistings were linked to compliance concerns and accusations of "vulgar" content. Blued’s international version remains available abroad, while Finka serves mainly domestic users. Observers view the removals as part of a wider tightening of online and LGBTQ+ spaces in China.
08:31 PM, 11/11/2025Society
Apps disappear from Chinese app stores
Two of China’s most widely used gay-dating apps, Blued and Finka, have been removed from Apple’s China App Store and from local Android distribution platforms, deepening concerns about a broader clampdown on LGBTQ+ communities and online content.
What happened and why
Apple told tech site Wired that it removed the apps from its China storefront at the request of the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC). A source familiar with the matter told CNN the delistings appeared tied to compliance issues and accusations that the platforms hosted pornography or other “vulgar content.” Apple said the removals apply only to the China storefront and that it follows local laws and regulator orders.
Google Play is not available in mainland China because of the government’s internet controls — commonly referred to as the “Great Firewall” — so many Android apps there are distributed through locally adapted marketplaces, from which the two apps were also deleted.
Users, scale and context
Blued — which also operates an international version called HeeSay — has reported a large user base: state media CGTN put its global registered users at about 54 million in 2020. Finka, which operates primarily within China and targets a younger demographic, had roughly 2.7 million users, according to the same report. BlueCity, Blued’s parent company, acquired Finka in 2020.
“I just feel that there hasn’t been that much space offline for the gay community to begin with. Now that the online space is also being restricted, I feel that the space of the community is getting smaller and smaller,” said one user who gave only the family name Zhao.
Broader pattern of restrictions
Observers note this move fits a wider pattern of tightening controls on LGBTQ+ expression and cultural content under Xi Jinping’s leadership: Pride events, films and TV with same-sex themes have been canceled or restricted, and social platforms such as WeChat have closed numerous LGBTQ accounts. In 2022, the international app Grindr was also removed from Chinese app stores amid compliance concerns related to privacy rules.
China decriminalized homosexuality in 1997 but does not legally recognize same-sex marriage. There has been no official, public explanation from Chinese regulators about whether the removals are temporary or permanent. A source told CNN reinstatement is possible if the companies meet regulator requirements, but expressed skepticism given what they described as a tightening “ideological environment.”
Responses and next steps
CNN reached out to Apple, Blued, Finka and the Cyberspace Administration of China for comment. Blued’s international app remains available in app stores outside China. It is unclear what specific compliance steps — if any — the companies might take to restore their listings in China.