Apple removed WhatsApp and Threads, both Meta apps, from the App Store in China after receiving orders from the Chinese government, which cited national security concerns, the company said on Friday (19).
Communication apps Telegram and Signal were also removed from the store this Friday, according to app tracking companies Qimai and AppMagic.
The removal of the four apps suggests growing intolerance by China's government toward some foreign messaging services that are beyond its control.
Other Meta apps, including Facebook, Instagram and Messenger, remain available for download, according to Reuters checks on Friday. Many other popular apps developed by Western companies, including YouTube and X, were also available.
It was not immediately clear why WhatsApp and Threads might have raised security concerns for Chinese authorities.
“The Cyberspace Administration of China ordered the removal of these apps from the China Store based on its national security concerns,” Apple said in a statement.
“We are obliged to follow the laws of the countries in which we operate, even when we do not agree,” he added.
Meta declined to comment and referred questions to Apple. The Cyberspace Administration of China also did not comment.
None of the four apps is widely used in China, where Tencent's WeChat is by far the most used service.
Many foreign applications are typically blocked on Chinese networks and can only be used with a virtual private network or other tools.
The four apps remain available in Hong Kong and Macau, the two special administrative regions of China.
Source: CNN Brasil
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