Apple Confirms China’s Removal Order for Gay Dating Apps Blued and Finka

Chinese authorities have directed the removal of two major gay dating apps, Blued and Finka, from the country’s mobile app stores, Apple confirmed to AFP on Tuesday.

The move comes amid growing restrictions on LGBTQ expression in China, where same-sex marriage remains illegal and social discrimination persists. Activists say the government has intensified its clampdown on LGBTQ visibility under President Xi Jinping’s administration.

Over the weekend, social media users in China noticed that the full versions of Blued and Finka—both owned by the same Hong Kong-based company—had disappeared from Apple’s App Store and Android platforms.

“Based on an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China, we have removed these two apps from the China storefront only,” an Apple spokesperson told AFP, adding that the company complies with local laws wherever it operates.

The Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the country’s top internet regulator and online content censor, has recently stepped up actions against platforms over content management issues. Neither the CAC nor the apps’ parent company could be reached for comment.

Despite the removal, an express version of Blued remains available on Apple’s Chinese App Store, while its international version, HeeSay, continues to operate outside China, inviting users to join “54 million LGBTQ+ individuals worldwide.”

This latest move follows the 2022 removal of the gay dating app Grindr from Chinese app stores as part of a CAC-led “clean-up” campaign ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics. Blued, however, had remained accessible in China until now.