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China Orders Removal of Popular Gay Dating Apps
Apple removed Blued and Finka from China’s iOS App Store under a government order amid increasing censorship of LGBTQ+ content, affecting apps with over 49 million registered users.
- On November 10, 2025, Apple Inc. removed Blued and Finka from the China storefront after an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China, WIRED and The Wire reported.
- China's tightening controls have pressured LGBTQ+ groups in recent years, with the Cyberspace Administration of China ordering app removals like Grindr in 2022 and enforcing new registration rules in Beijing.
- Blued, which operates internationally as HeeSay, has over 49 million registered users and a registration halt in July led some users to buy secondhand Blued accounts online, while a Blued express version remains available and existing users with previously downloaded copies can still access the app.
- Observers say the removals shrink online safe spaces for China's LGBTQ+ community, while one user, surnamed Zhao, told CNN the apps helped meet especially in less cosmopolitan areas.
- It is unclear if the removals are permanent, as Chinese regulators often delete apps without explanation; sources said reinstatement is possible if BlueCity and app developers comply with new 2023 CAC registration rules.
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Chinese authorities have ordered the removal of two popular gay dating apps from mobile phone app stores in the country, Apple told AFP on Tuesday.
·Vilnius, Lithuania
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Dating among men is becoming more difficult in China: Google and Apple have taken the Finka and Blued apps out of their app stores – and thus bowed to an order from the Internet agency.
·Germany
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Associated Press News+31 Reposted by 31 other sources
Apple pulls two gay dating apps in China under government order
Apple says it has pulled two popular gay dating apps in China following an order from Chinese authorities in the latest evidence of their tightening grip on the LGBTQ+ community.
·United States
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Total News Sources116
Leaning Left25Leaning Right9Center35Last UpdatedBias Distribution51% Center
Bias Distribution
- 51% of the sources are Center
51% Center
L 36%
C 51%
13%
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