Blued and Finka were removed from Apple’s App Store.
LGBTQ+ rights and acceptance have taken another hit in China, with Apple removing two of the countries biggest LGBTQ+ dating apps. Wired reports that Blued and Finka are no longer available on the iOS App Store or certain Android App Stores following orders from the Cyberspace Administration of China, the country’s internet regulator and censor.
Apple told Wired that it must “follow the laws in the countries where we operate.” Both dating apps were available solely in China, where LGBTQ+ dating apps are minimal — Grindr, for instance, hasn’t been available on Apple since 2022. Blued exists internationally under the name HeeSay.
China has increasingly cracked down on LGBTQ+ individuals’ rights and groups in recent years, allegedly shuttering large organizations like the Beijing LGBT Center in 2023. For reasons unknown, Blued previously stopped new registrations this past July, with individuals buying second-hand accounts to use the app. However, it reopened in the middle of August.
Devils advocate:
…It’s kinda strategic for Apple to “stay.”
Let’s say they say no, and get kicked out of China. You think the Chinese tech giants are going to put up a fight about dating apps?
Seems better to Apple to keep a finger in the pie and do what they can get away with, if only for the LGBTQ folks.
Another example I used to point to is Steam which got away with sneaking a lot of culture into China under the government’s nose. And it’s cause they didn’t make loud trouble.