Apple has quietly removed China's two most popular gay dating apps, Blued and Finka, from its App Store following a direct order from Beijing's internet regulator. The move marks the latest crackdown on LGBTQ+ platforms in China, where the community faces increasing pressure as the government tightens control over civil society and digital expression.
Apple just dealt another blow to China's already marginalized LGBTQ+ community. The tech giant confirmed it removed Blued and Finka - the country's two most popular gay dating platforms - from its Chinese App Store after receiving a direct order from the Cyberspace Administration of China.
"We follow the laws in the countries where we operate. 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 WIRED. The company emphasized the apps weren't available in other markets anyway - Finka's developer pulled it from international stores earlier this year, while Blued operated only in China.
The removal caps a turbulent year for both platforms. Blued mysteriously stopped accepting new user registrations in July without explanation, according to Chinese social media posts. Desperate users turned to black markets, paying up to $20 for secondhand accounts before registration quietly resumed in August.
This isn't Apple's first clash with Chinese authorities over LGBTQ+ content. The company removed Grindr from its Chinese App Store in 2022, leaving Chinese users with few options for community connection. Most international LGBTQ+ dating platforms remain blocked behind China's Great Firewall.
The timing feels particularly pointed. Just as BlueCity's nonprofit arm celebrated being named one of Beijing's "Best Volunteer Service Projects" for its HIV testing program, the parent company's core product disappeared from app stores. It's a stark reminder of how quickly political winds can shift in China, even for companies that once enjoyed tacit government approval.
BlueCity went public in 2020 boasting over 49 million registered users and 6 million monthly active users across its platforms. The company acquired rival Finka the same year for $33 million, creating a near-monopoly on China's gay dating market. But success didn't shield it from Beijing's broader crackdown on civil society.
The company's trajectory mirrors China's shifting stance toward LGBTQ+ rights. While homosexuality was decriminalized in the 1990s, same-sex marriage remains illegal and the community faces mounting pressure as the Chinese Communist Party tightens control. Several prominent gay rights organizations have shuttered, and social media companies now routinely censor LGBTQ+ content.
BlueCity's founder Ma Baoli once met with future Premier Li Keqiang about HIV prevention work - a meeting viewed as implicit government approval. But Ma and most longtime employees left after Newborn Town acquired the delisted company in 2022, signaling the end of an era.
The company has diversified beyond dating, expanding into healthcare with telehealth services targeting men's sexual health concerns. Its international app HeeSay has found success in India, Pakistan, and the Philippines, suggesting global demand for LGBTQ+ platforms remains strong even as China restricts access.
Whether this removal is permanent remains unclear. Some Chinese apps have successfully returned to app stores after making changes requested by regulators. But for now, China's LGBTQ+ community has lost two of its most important digital gathering spaces - a reminder of how quickly connectivity can vanish in an increasingly controlled digital landscape.
The removal of Blued and Finka represents more than just app store policy - it's another signal of China's tightening grip on digital spaces where marginalized communities gather. For Apple, it highlights the ongoing tension between corporate values and local compliance requirements. As China's tech crackdown expands beyond data and finance into social issues, international companies face increasingly difficult choices about which markets they're willing to serve and at what cost.
