Apple Removes Gay Dating Apps in China
Apple pulled Blued and Finka from its China App Store under orders from the country’s top internet regulator.
Apple has pulled two of China’s most popular gay dating apps from its App Store after receiving an order from the country’s top internet regulator and censorship agency.
According to Wired, the tech giant removed Blued and Finka from both Apple’s iOS App Store and several Android marketplaces over the weekend. New downloads are now blocked, though the apps remain functional for users who already had them installed.
“We follow the laws in the countries where we operate,” an Apple spokesperson told Wired in an email. “Based on an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China, we have removed these two apps from the China storefront only.” The spokesperson added that the apps haven’t been available in other countries for some time.
Blued and Finka are the latest LGBTQ-focused dating platforms to face restrictions in China, where homosexuality is legal but remains socially taboo, and same-sex marriage is banned. In 2022, the popular app Grindr was also removed from Apple’s Chinese App Store.
China’s LGBTQ community has increasingly faced persecution as the ruling Communist Party intensifies its crackdown on free expression, portraying homosexuality as a “foreign influence” that threatens traditional family values and social stability.
As part of that crackdown, LGBTQ group leaders have been detained, advocacy organizations forced to close, Pride events canceled, and university LGBTQ social-media accounts deleted.
Authorities also censor films and television shows with queer content, pressure studios to cut LGBTQ references, and restrict portrayals of “effeminate” men in entertainment and gaming. Earlier this year, dozens of women were arrested for writing gay-themed erotica, accused of distributing “obscene” material.
Beyond official repression, some individuals have reportedly been confined by their own families, forced into conversion therapy, or sent to “re-education” camps, according to The Guardian.
It remains unclear whether the removal of Blued and Finka is temporary or permanent. In similar cases, apps have been restored after complying with Chinese government-mandated changes.
In July, Blued suddenly stopped accepting new user registrations without explanation, according to posts on Chinese social media. For several weeks, users paid as much as $20 for secondhand accounts before registration quietly resumed in mid-August, Wired reported.
Blued’s parent company, BlueCity, went public in 2020, boasting more than 49 million registered users and 6 million monthly actives. That same year, it acquired rival app Finka for $33 million. BlueCity later delisted in 2022 and was bought by Hong Kong-based firm Newborn Town, prompting the departure of founder Ma Baoli and many longtime staff.
Last year, Blued rebranded its international version as HeeSay, which has gained popularity in India, Pakistan, and the Philippines, according to The Wall Street Journal. Despite Blued’s removal in China, HeeSay remains available in global app stores.
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