Blued and Finka were removed from Apple’s App Store.
LGBTQ+ rights and acceptance have taken another hit in China, with Apple removing two of the countries biggest LGBTQ+ dating apps. Wired reports that Blued and Finka are no longer available on the iOS App Store or certain Android App Stores following orders from the Cyberspace Administration of China, the country’s internet regulator and censor.
Apple told Wired that it must “follow the laws in the countries where we operate.” Both dating apps were available solely in China, where LGBTQ+ dating apps are minimal — Grindr, for instance, hasn’t been available on Apple since 2022. Blued exists internationally under the name HeeSay.
China has increasingly cracked down on LGBTQ+ individuals’ rights and groups in recent years, allegedly shuttering large organizations like the Beijing LGBT Center in 2023. For reasons unknown, Blued previously stopped new registrations this past July, with individuals buying second-hand accounts to use the app. However, it reopened in the middle of August.
i’m asking you to back up your assertion by sharing the people who are already sharing themselves on rednote; so there’s no doxxing application here.
i’m a queer on rednote and its algorithms show me queer content and creators and i have yet to see one echo a sentiment that matches your assertion.
I won’t direct hostile state attention to vulnerable people, sorry not sorry
that sounds unhinged.
is this hostile state attention in the room with us? lol
Sorry to be worried about vulnerable groups in a country that’s discriminating against them. I’m sure it helps them a lot that you’re moving the discussion away from them
the only thing to be sorry about is your avoidance of the question; you’re the one who’s not responding with evidence to support your assertion.
i’m seeking it because i’m already an online member of the chinese queer community and i never heard your sentiment shared; if it exists, i want to know about it.
You’re using some “influencers” as your source rather than actual normal people. You’ve been had.
a very real possibility; which is why i want your sources.
It’s just normal people I know privately. I wouldn’t feel comfortable sharing their accounts
the normal people i know privately say the opposite and they’re heavily politically engaged; they would know more than your people from that alone.