Chinese officials have mandated the removal of two popular gay dating apps, Blued and Finka, from mobile stores within the country, as confirmed by Apple. This action aligns with ongoing efforts to restrict LGBTQ expression in China, particularly under President Xi Jinping’s administration, where discrimination against same-sex relationships remains prevalent.
Over the weekend, Chinese social media users noted the disappearance of both apps from the Apple and Android storefronts. An Apple spokesperson indicated that the removal was based on an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the nation’s top internet regulator.
“We follow the laws in the countries where we operate,” the spokesperson stated. While the developer of Finka chose to remove their app from all storefronts outside China earlier this year, Blued was exclusively available within the country.
Despite the removal of the full versions, an express version of Blued remains accessible on Apple’s Chinese app store, and an international version called HeeSay is still available for download outside China. HeeSay advertises a global LGBTQ+ community of 54 million users.
This crackdown follows the removal of popular gay dating app Grindr in 2022 during a CAC enforcement campaign prior to the Beijing Winter Olympics.
