China Removes Gay Dating Apps Blued, Finka From App Stores

Chinese authorities have ordered the removal of two major gay dating applications, Blued and Finka from online app stores, in what activists say is the latest move in Beijing’s tightening control over LGBTQ+ expression.

Technology giant Apple confirmed the directive to AFP on Tuesday, saying it acted on instructions from the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), the country’s top internet regulator and censor.

“Based on an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China, we have removed these two apps from the China storefront only,” an Apple spokesperson said. “We follow the laws in the countries where we operate.”

Chinese social media users began noticing over the weekend that the full versions of both apps had disappeared from Apple’s App Store and Android platforms.

Same-sex marriage is not recognised in China, and LGBTQ+ groups say the space for community expression has narrowed further under President Xi Jinping’s administration. Activists have reported increasing censorship of queer content online, the closure of advocacy groups, and tighter state monitoring of social media platforms.

Apple added that the developer of Finka had earlier chosen to withdraw the app from stores outside China, while Blued had been available only domestically.

As of Tuesday, a limited or “express” version of Blued remained on Apple’s Chinese App Store, while an international version, branded HeeSay, was still available to users abroad. HeeSay’s listing describes it as a platform connecting “54 million LGBTQ+ individuals worldwide.”

AFP said attempts to contact the CAC and the apps’ Hong Kong-based parent company for comment were unsuccessful.

In 2022, another popular gay dating platform, Grindr, was also removed from Chinese app stores during a CAC “clean-up” campaign ahead of the Beijing Winter Olympics.