Apple Inc. has removed social media services including Meta Platforms Inc.’s WhatsApp and Threads from its Chinese app store, responding to Beijing’s order to close more loopholes in the country’s long-standing internet firewall.
The iPhone maker also removed messaging services Telegram and Signal, according to consultants monitoring the situation. Apple, which consistently enforces one of the world’s toughest internet censorship regimes, said the Cyberspace Administration of China ordered the apps to be removed due to national security concerns.
These orders followed a cleanup program initiated by Chinese regulators in 2023, which was expected to remove many defunct or unregistered apps from domestic iOS and Android stores, including local ones. In August, China asked all mobile app developers to register with the government by the end of March or stop working.
Beijing has for years banned the use of foreign messaging and social media platforms such as WhatsApp, using what the industry calls the “Great Firewall.” That has helped apps like Tencent Holdings Ltd.’s WeChat dominate domestically, although Chinese users can still use virtual private networks to watch foreign media.
Less sensitive apps from larger Chinese enterprises such as Duolingo are expected to comply with the latest regulatory licensing regime to remain operational, said Rich Bishop, co-founder and chief executive officer of AppInChina.
“This will mean that Chinese consumers are largely limited to just Chinese apps with a small number of international ones,” said Bishop, whose consulting company has received dozens of requests from companies about how to comply and publish software in China. “This is a pretty big change, so in some ways it will further cut off Chinese citizens from the rest of the world.”
The move against US tech services comes as the US government moves to ban TikTok, a popular video app from Beijing-based ByteDance Ltd. US politicians are also citing national security concerns in an attempt to force the company to either sell TikTok to a non-Chinese owner or face being banned from the US market.
“We are obliged to comply with the laws of the countries in which we operate, even if we do not agree with them. The Cyberspace Administration of China has ordered the removal of these apps from the store in China based on national security concerns,” Apple said in a statement. “These apps remain available for download in all other stores where they appear.”
The app’s registration process began last year in what Beijing described as an effort to combat phone scams and scams. The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology said it will carry out surveillance work on these applications and take action against unregistered applications from April to June. Developers will also need to create and improve mechanisms for processing “illegal information.”
MIIT’s decision was seen as another move by Beijing to tighten control over its cyberspace, forcing internet companies to withhold information considered politically sensitive. In addition to apps, websites and large AI language models are also subject to stricter content restrictions.
The Wall Street Journal was the first to report the app’s removal. A Meta spokesperson cited a statement from Bloomberg News. Representatives for Telegram and Signal did not respond to requests for comment.
China’s move comes as legislation to sell TikTok is expected to be included in a rapidly evolving aid package for Ukraine and Israel that Congress is expected to vote on this Saturday.
China is a key country for the iPhone, its largest consumer market outside the US and its main manufacturing base. Chief executive Tim Cook visited the country earlier this year and highlighted its importance to his business. Apple has long said it needs to follow local laws to operate its app store effectively in different countries.