Apple removes WhatsApp and Threads from the App Store in China following government order

TechSpot— The four apps are some of the many Western services and products already blocked by China's Great Firewall, but users can bypass these restrictions using VPNs. Reuters writes that other Meta apps, including Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger, were still available on the App Store in China, as were other WesternRead Entire Article

Hong Kong Free Press HKFP—Apple removes WhatsApp, Threads from App Store in China on government orders. Apple has removed Meta’s WhatsApp and Threads from its App Store in China on orders from the country’s internet regulator, US media reported Friday. Mainland China has some of the world’s most extensive internet censorship, with web users unable to access everything from Google to many foreign apps without workarounds such as a virtual private […]

MacRumors—Apple Pulls WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, and Threads From App Store in China Following Order. Apple on late Thursday into Friday removed the popular messaging and social media apps WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, and Threads from its App Store in China at the request of the Chinese government, The Wall Street Journal reported. In a statement shared with several media outlets, Apple said China's national internet regulator ordered the removal of the apps from the App Store in the country due to unspecified "national security concerns." Apple said it is "obligated to follow the laws in...

GSMArena—Apple removes WhatsApp and Threads from App Store in China. Apple said it removed Meta-owned apps WhatsApp and Threads from its App Store in China. The US company was ordered to do so by the state government, which cited national security concerns. Other Meta apps including Facebook, Messenger, and Instagram remain available, as well as other popular US social media apps like YouTube or X (formerly Twitter). Apple stated that the Cyberspace Administration of China ordered the removal of these apps from the China storefront. "We are obligated to...