Apple yanks Blued and Finka from China after regulator order

Apple complies with Chinese regulator, removes Blued and Finka

Apple pulled Blued and Finka from the Chinese iOS storefront on Tuesday after receiving a direct order from the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC). The removal affects only the China store; the apps remain available in other regions where they have already been withdrawn.

Apple’s spokesperson said, “Based on an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China, we have removed these two apps from the China storefront only,” and added that the company follows the laws of every market it serves. A “lite” version of Blued continues to be listed, according to CNBC. The two apps had vanished from Chinese social‑media feeds over the weekend, confirming the reports that circulated on Weibo and WeChat.

Regulatory backdrop: CAC’s tightening grip on LGBTQ content

The CAC has been issuing content directives since early 2022, when it forced the removal of Grindr from the Chinese App Store. The agency’s 2023 policy required all locally serving apps to register and obtain a licence, prompting a wave of foreign removals. In April 2024 Apple complied with a CAC order to pull Meta’s WhatsApp and Threads, citing national‑security concerns. Those actions illustrate a pattern: the regulator treats LGBTQ‑focused services as politically sensitive and subjects them to the same scrutiny as political dissent.

China decriminalised homosexuality in 1997, but it does not recognise same‑sex marriage and routinely censors queer content. Recent crackdowns have shuttered major advocacy groups, including the Beijing LGBT Center, and forced WeChat to delete dozens of university LGBTQ groups. The CAC’s latest directive against Blued and Finka aligns with that broader campaign.

Blued’s business model and health‑care pivot

Blued, launched in 2012 by entrepreneur Ma Baoli (aka Geng Le), grew to become China’s most used gay dating platform. BlueCity, its parent company, reported over 49 million registered users and more than 6 million monthly active users in 2020. That year it also acquired Finka for roughly $33 million, consolidating its position against smaller rivals.

Beyond matchmaking, BlueCity has built a health‑care arm. The company operates a digital pharmacy and an internet hospital called He Health, which offers discreet treatment for erectile dysfunction and sexually transmitted infections. It also runs a nonprofit focused on HIV/AIDS prevention; in 2012 Ma met with then‑premier Li Keqiang to discuss the app’s public‑health work. By framing itself as a health‑promotion platform, Blued has avoided some of the regulatory pressure that has closed other queer apps.

Lik Sam Chan, a communications professor at The Chinese University of Hong Kong, noted, “Blued, even today, can still run a business in China because it mainly positions itself as a health promotion platform, rather than a gay platform.” The app’s website uses coded language such as “diversity” and “community” instead of explicit LGBTQ terminology, a deliberate tactic to stay under the regulator’s radar.

Market dynamics and competition in China and abroad

Blued’s dominance has survived the shutdown of rivals like Zank and the double removal of the lesbian‑focused app Rela. In 2024 the company rebranded its international version as HeeSay, a name that gained traction in India, Pakistan, and the Philippines, according to the Wall Street Journal. Newborn Town, a Hong Kong‑listed social‑media firm that acquired BlueCity in 2022, claims to have turned Blued profitable by tightening moderation and boosting engagement.

The firm is now targeting Southeast Asia and the United States. A written response in October listed Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, and the U.S. as priority markets, citing “the growth of the LGBTQ population” in those regions. However, analysts remain skeptical. Blued’s past attempts to crack the Western market fell short, and its recent focus on health services may limit its appeal to users seeking a pure social experience.

Meanwhile, international LGBTQ apps continue to be blocked in China. Grindr’s 2022 removal set a precedent that Apple has followed twice more, most recently with the Blued and Finka takedown. The pattern suggests that any app perceived as promoting queer identity without a clear health‑care angle will face heightened scrutiny.

What to watch

The CAC has not indicated whether the removal of Blued and Finka is permanent. Past cases show that apps can return after submitting revised content or restructuring their services. Observers should track any new version releases, especially a potential “lite” Blued update, and monitor Apple’s compliance statements for hints of policy shifts. A formal appeal from BlueCity or Newborn Town could trigger a renegotiation, but the regulator’s recent emphasis on ideological conformity makes a swift reinstatement unlikely. The next data point to watch is the CAC’s upcoming quarterly guidance on “online content that affects public morality,” which may set the parameters for future LGBTQ‑focused services in China.

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