China’s LGBTQ community loses key lifeline as Blued, Finka apps abruptly vanish

The apps, both owned by Hong Kong-based BlueCity Holdings Ltd, were first noticed missing by Chinese social media users last weekend. Apple confirmed the removals in a statement sent to the South China Morning Post on Thursday, explaining that it follows the laws in the countries where it operates.

“Based on an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), we have removed these two apps from the China storefront only. Earlier this year, the developer of Finka elected to remove the app from storefronts outside China, and Blued was available only in China,” the statement said.

Neither the apps’ administrators nor the CAC have responded to emails and phone calls from the Post.

On Friday, only a simplified version of Blued was still available in Apple’s App Store in China, while an international version called HeeSay could be accessed in App Stores outside China.