Jauhn Etienne Villaruel

Article (news)

China

Agence France-Presse

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:960px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1762844878588cropped-aboodi-vesakaran-YrP6DNh_Ma0-unsplash.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">China flag. Aboodi Vesakaran, Unsplash</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>BEIJING, China — Chinese officials ordered the removal of two popular gay dating apps from mobile stores in the country, Apple confirmed to AFP on Tuesday.</p><p>Same-sex marriage is not legal in China and discrimination remains widespread, with activists saying an effort to suppress LGBTQ expression has expanded in recent years, particularly under President Xi Jinping.</p><p>Over the weekend, Chinese social media users pointed out that the full versions of apps Blued and Finka, which share a Hong Kong-based owner, had disappeared from the Apple and Android stores.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/news/world/2025/11/11/trump-threatens-1-billion-action-as-bbc-apologizes-for-edit-error-0739">&#x27;Love won again&#x27;: US Supreme Court declines to hear case challenging same-sex marriage</a></div><p>&quot;Based on an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China, we have removed these two apps from the China storefront only,&quot; an Apple spokesperson told AFP.</p><p>China&#x27;s cyberspace administration (CAC) is the government&#x27;s national internet regulator and top censor. In recent months it has penalized social media platforms over content management.</p><p>&quot;We follow the laws in the countries where we operate,&quot; the Apple spokesperson said.</p><p>Earlier this year, the developer of Finka had &quot;elected to remove the app from storefronts outside of China, and Blued was available only in China&quot;, the spokesperson added.</p><p>AFP was unable to immediately reach the CAC or the apps&#x27; owner for comment.</p><p>On Tuesday, an express version of Blued remained available to download from Apple&#x27;s Chinese app store.</p><p>An international version of Blued, called HeeSay, was still available to download outside China.</p><p>HeeSay tells users they will join &quot;54 million LGBTQ+ individuals worldwide&quot;, according to a description in Apple&#x27;s app store.</p><p>Popular gay dating app Grindr was removed from Chinese stores in 2022, coinciding with a CAC clean-up campaign before the Beijing Winter Olympics.</p><p>Blued had remained available to download at the time.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>© Agence France-Presse<br/></strong></div>

<p>Chinese social media users pointed out that the full versions of apps Blued and Finka, which share a Hong Kong-based owner, had disappeared from the Apple and Android stores.</p>

Chinese social media users pointed out that the full versions of apps Blued and Finka, which share a Hong Kong-based owner, had disappeared from the Apple and Android stores.