Apple removed Blued and Finka from its China App Store after an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China. An "express" edition of Blued remained listed, and it is unclear whether Android versions are affected. The takedown follows earlier removals such as Grindr in 2022 and comes amid increased pressure on LGBTQ+ groups in China despite decriminalization in 1997. Analysts say Apple often complies with Chinese internet rules because the Chinese market is crucial to its business.
Apple Pulls Two Major Gay Dating Apps From China After Regulator's Order
Apple removed Blued and Finka from its China App Store after an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China. An "express" edition of Blued remained listed, and it is unclear whether Android versions are affected. The takedown follows earlier removals such as Grindr in 2022 and comes amid increased pressure on LGBTQ+ groups in China despite decriminalization in 1997. Analysts say Apple often complies with Chinese internet rules because the Chinese market is crucial to its business.
10:14 PM, 11/11/2025Society
BANGKOK — Apple said it has removed two of China’s largest gay dating apps, Blued and Finka, from its China App Store after receiving an order from Chinese regulators — a move advocates say signals growing restrictions on the country’s LGBTQ+ community.
An Apple spokesperson said the company removed both apps in China “based on an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China,” and did not provide additional details. “We follow the laws in the countries where we operate,” the spokesperson told The Associated Press.
An Associated Press check found neither app available on Apple’s China App Store, although an “express” edition of Blued remained listed. Apple did not explain how the “express” version differs from the full app, and it was not clear whether Android versions remain available.
Apple said Blued had been available “only in China.” The company added that Finka’s developer had earlier chosen to remove the app from stores outside China this year. Grindr, another well-known gay dating app, was removed from Apple’s China App Store in 2022.
Pressure on LGBTQ+ groups
Although China decriminalized homosexuality in 1997, LGBTQ+ groups and activists there have faced mounting pressure from authorities. Some organizations have been forced to close in recent years and public activism has been curtailed, according to rights groups and local sources.
Blued and Finka are both owned by the same parent company, BlueCity, which was founded in China and focuses on LGBTQ+ services domestically and abroad. BlueCity was taken private and delisted from Nasdaq in 2022.
Last year, Apple reportedly removed other foreign apps — including WhatsApp and Meta’s Threads — from its China App Store after orders from the Cyberspace Administration of China, illustrating a pattern of takedowns under regulatory pressure.
“Among all foreign tech companies that provide services to Chinese users, Apple is probably the one which is most willing to comply with Chinese internet regulations,” said George Chen, partner and co-chair of the digital practice at The Asia Group. He added that Apple “rarely pushes back on Chinese government takedown requests” because the Chinese market, including iPhone sales, is too important to the company.
Why this matters: The removals underscore the tightening regulatory environment for online platforms that serve or discuss LGBTQ+ communities in China. For users of these apps, the change could limit access to social and support networks and further isolate community spaces.
AP writers Kelvin Chan in London and Kanis Leung in Hong Kong contributed to this report.