Close Menu
TechBrunchTechBrunch
  • Home
  • AI
  • Apps
  • Crypto
  • Security
  • Startups
  • TechCrunch
  • Venture

Subscribe to Updates

Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss our latest news

Subscribe my Newsletter for New Posts & tips Let's stay updated!

What's Hot

Browser companies launch a $20 monthly subscription for AI-powered browsers

August 7, 2025

Rivalry apps for men leak user personal data and driver's license

August 6, 2025

Learn how to raise seed rounds from top VCS in 2025

August 6, 2025
Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
TechBrunchTechBrunch
  • Home
  • AI

    OpenAI seeks to extend human lifespans with the help of longevity startups

    January 17, 2025

    Farewell to the $200 million woolly mammoth and TikTok

    January 17, 2025

    Nord Security founder launches Nexos.ai to help enterprises move AI projects from pilot to production

    January 17, 2025

    Data proves it remains difficult for startups to raise capital, even though VCs invested $75 billion in the fourth quarter

    January 16, 2025

    Apple suspends AI notification summaries for news after generating false alerts

    January 16, 2025
  • Apps

    Browser companies launch a $20 monthly subscription for AI-powered browsers

    August 7, 2025

    Google takes on learning modes for ChatGpt using Gemini's new “guided learning” tool

    August 6, 2025

    Instagram accepts Snapchat with the new “Instagram Map”

    August 6, 2025

    Tinder explores “mode” and “mode” dating, university-specific features, to increase engagement

    August 6, 2025

    Photo sharing app Rocket supplies banks to new celebrities focused features to drive its growth

    August 6, 2025
  • Crypto

    North Korean spies pretending to be remote workers have invaded hundreds of businesses, CloudStrike says

    August 4, 2025

    Telegram's Crypto Wallet will be released in the US

    July 22, 2025

    Indian Crypto ExchangeCoindCX confirms $44 million stolen during hack

    July 21, 2025

    North Korean hackers blamed record-breaking spikes in 2025

    July 17, 2025

    Bitcoin surpasses $118K at the second highest high in 24 hours

    July 11, 2025
  • Security

    Rivalry apps for men leak user personal data and driver's license

    August 6, 2025

    Citizen LaBody Lecter warns the cyber industry about an authoritarian descent in the US

    August 6, 2025

    Final Call: suspend ticket savings for 2025

    August 6, 2025

    Google says hackers stole customer data by violating Salesforce database

    August 6, 2025

    Hackers stole the identity of Cisco customers using voice phishing attacks

    August 5, 2025
  • Startups

    7 days left: Founders and VCs save over $300 on all stage passes

    March 24, 2025

    AI chip startup Furiosaai reportedly rejecting $800 million acquisition offer from Meta

    March 24, 2025

    20 Hottest Open Source Startups of 2024

    March 22, 2025

    Andrill may build a weapons factory in the UK

    March 21, 2025

    Startup Weekly: Wiz bets paid off at M&A Rich Week

    March 21, 2025
  • TechCrunch

    OpenSea takes a long-term view with a focus on UX despite NFT sales remaining low

    February 8, 2024

    AI will save software companies' growth dreams

    February 8, 2024

    B2B and B2C are not about who buys, but how you sell

    February 5, 2024

    It's time for venture capital to break away from fast fashion

    February 3, 2024

    a16z's Chris Dixon believes it's time to focus on blockchain use cases rather than speculation

    February 2, 2024
  • Venture

    Learn how to raise seed rounds from top VCS in 2025

    August 6, 2025

    Figma's IPO success is “a little bit of meme stock,” says Jai Das of Sapphire Ventures

    August 6, 2025

    Clay confirms that it has closed a $100 million round at a $3.1 billion valuation

    August 5, 2025

    NEA destroys ICONIQ and get startup insights from Chefrobotics in 2025

    August 5, 2025

    Only two days left to save $675 to destroy tickets for 2025

    August 5, 2025
TechBrunchTechBrunch

Apple removes WhatsApp and Threads from China's App Store following state order

TechBrunchBy TechBrunchApril 19, 20244 Mins Read
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Telegram LinkedIn Tumblr WhatsApp Email
Share
Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Telegram Email


Apple has removed WhatsApp, an end-to-end encrypted messaging app owned by Meta, from China's App Store following a government order citing national security concerns, news agency Reuters reported on Friday. Ta.

Meta's new Twitter-like text-based social networking app, Threads, was also removed from the App Store for the same reason.

“The Cyberspace Administration of China has ordered the removal of these apps from Chinese store shelves based on national security concerns,” Apple said in a statement to the news agency.

Meta confirmed to TechCrunch that two of its apps are no longer available on Apple's App Store in China, but did not provide details about the removals. “He will contact Apple for comment,” a Meta spokesperson told us.

We also reached out to Apple with questions about the removal, but the iPhone maker had not responded as of press time.

Two other messaging apps, namely Signal and Telegram, were also removed from Apple's App Store in China, Reuters reported. This element of the report cites data from app tracking companies Qimai and AppMagic.

Apple has not confirmed these two additional deletions. However, the AppleCensorship site, which tracks App Store removals, records that both Signal and Telegram have “disappeared” from Apple's mainland China App Store.

We contacted Telegram about the status of the iOS app, but did not receive a response as of press time.

Asked about the Reuters report, Signal president Meredith Whittaker told TechCrunch that Signal is already blocked by the Great Firewall in China.

“You may have been able to download Signal before, but Signal registration and messages are obviously blocked,” she said, adding that even though the app no ​​longer appears in the App Store, users accessing it from China still have access to it. He suggested that there was little point in accessing it. Register or send a message.

However, it appears that Signal is not always blocked in this way. Back in 2021, TechCrunch's Rita Liao reported that Signal was fully functional in China, including without a VPN. But state censors have likely cracked down even further on end-to-end encrypted messaging apps since then.

previous deletion

This isn't the first time Apple has removed an app following instructions from China's internet regulator. Last summer, just before Chinese regulations targeting generative AI went into effect, several generative AI apps were removed from Apple's China App Store.

Last year, another Twitter alternative, Jack Dorsey-backed Damus, was also removed from Apple's China App Store shortly after approval.

A few years ago, audio social networking app Clubhouse was also pulled from the Apple Store in China shortly after its global release. In recent years, Apple has also removed the popular censorship circumvention tool (and previously his VPN app). RSS app. Podcast app. There are even Quran apps, to name a few others.

It's unclear why WhatsApp and Threads are currently being removed from Apple's China App Store.

One is an end-to-end encrypted (E2EE) messaging app, and the other is a microblogging-style social media app. (Telegram has both private messaging and one-to-many broadcast-style features, but its own (non-default) E2EE is only available for so-called “secret chats.”) Signal, on the other hand, We offer the industry's gold standard E2EE across all aspects.

The thread was launched in early July last year. The app itself is blocked by China's Great Firewall, so Chinese users who want to download the app will need to use a VPN to circumvent censorship. Although it seems like quite a few were able to do so, as Threads quickly broke into the top five on Apple's China App Store last summer.

Popular apps are likely to attract the attention of China's state censors, who could prompt Apple to take further steps to crack down on usage, such as ordering it to remove the software from its store.

At the same time, other popular meta-owned apps, Facebook and Instagram, are still available in Apple's China App Store, according to AppleCensorship. However, as TC's Liao pointed out in a 2021 post about the increased usage of Signal and Telegram, “China's censorship decisions can be arbitrary and inconsistent.”



Source link

Share. Facebook Twitter Pinterest LinkedIn Tumblr Email

Related Posts

Browser companies launch a $20 monthly subscription for AI-powered browsers

August 7, 2025

Google takes on learning modes for ChatGpt using Gemini's new “guided learning” tool

August 6, 2025

Instagram accepts Snapchat with the new “Instagram Map”

August 6, 2025

Tinder explores “mode” and “mode” dating, university-specific features, to increase engagement

August 6, 2025

Photo sharing app Rocket supplies banks to new celebrities focused features to drive its growth

August 6, 2025

WhatsApp adds new features to protect against fraud

August 5, 2025

Leave A Reply Cancel Reply

Top Reviews
Editors Picks

7 days left: Founders and VCs save over $300 on all stage passes

March 24, 2025

AI chip startup Furiosaai reportedly rejecting $800 million acquisition offer from Meta

March 24, 2025

20 Hottest Open Source Startups of 2024

March 22, 2025

Andrill may build a weapons factory in the UK

March 21, 2025
About Us
About Us

Welcome to Tech Brunch, your go-to destination for cutting-edge insights, news, and analysis in the fields of Artificial Intelligence (AI), Cryptocurrency, Technology, and Startups. At Tech Brunch, we are passionate about exploring the latest trends, innovations, and developments shaping the future of these dynamic industries.

Our Picks

Browser companies launch a $20 monthly subscription for AI-powered browsers

August 7, 2025

Rivalry apps for men leak user personal data and driver's license

August 6, 2025

Learn how to raise seed rounds from top VCS in 2025

August 6, 2025

Subscribe to Updates

Subscribe to our newsletter and never miss our latest news

Subscribe my Newsletter for New Posts & tips Let's stay updated!

© 2025 TechBrunch. Designed by TechBrunch.
  • Home
  • About Tech Brunch
  • Advertise with Tech Brunch
  • Contact us
  • DMCA Notice
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.