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

The vulnerability of safe digital spaces for China’s LGBTQ community has been underscored by the abrupt removal of the country’s two most popular same-sex dating apps – Blued and Finka – from mainland app stores under government orders.

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.

The Post contacted the apps’ administrators and the CAC for comment via phone and email but has not yet received a response.

Same-sex marriage is not allowed in China, and censorship of LGBTQ topics online and in film and literature has tightened in recent years. Conservative voices say that such groups risk creating conflict in society and are speeding up population decline.

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