WhatsApp and Threads Removed From China’s Apple App Store

Published by Deep Shikha on Apr 25, 2024

Fact-checked by Kate Richards • Fact-checked by Kate Richards

Apple has recently removed several high-profile messaging apps from its App Store in China, including WhatsApp and Threads. The decision was made following directives from the Cyberspace Administration of China, which expressed concerns over national security.

Reuters reported that Signal and Telegram were also no longer available on Apple’s App Store in China, with app tracking firms Qimai and AppMagic confirming the removals. However, Apple has not yet acknowledged these specific takedowns.

Meta confirmed the removal of WhatsApp and Threads to TechCrunch. However, the company directed further inquiries to Apple.

Signal’s president, Meredith Whittaker, explained to TechCrunch that Signal was already inaccessible in China due to the Great Firewall. She noted that while the app could be downloaded in the past, users in China couldn’t register or send messages.

Whittaker pointed out that this restriction makes it less impactful whether Signal is available on the App Store. Despite this, there was a time when Signal functioned normally in China without needing a VPN, as reported by TechCrunch in 2021, but restrictions have tightened since then.

TechCrunch also pointed out China’s inconsistent censorship practices, highlighting the removal of WhatsApp and Threads. WhatsApp provides end-to-end encrypted messaging, while Threads functions as a microblogging platform. Both apps serve distinct purposes but faced similar censorship actions.

Threads, launched in early July last year, was quickly blocked by China’s Great Firewall. Despite this, many users in China used VPNs to bypass the block and download it, making Threads one of the top 5 apps on Apple’s China App Store last summer, according to TechCrunch.

Due to its popularity, Threads attracted more scrutiny from China’s state censors, who may have pressured Apple to remove the app from the store to limit its use.

According to Reuters, the removal of WhatsApp, Threads, Signal, and Telegram from Apple’s China App Store indicates China’s increasing unwillingness to tolerate foreign messaging apps that it cannot control. This also shows that Apple has less flexibility in operating within China.

“We are obligated to follow the laws in the countries where we operate, even when we disagree,” Apple said in an email to Reuters.

Despite the removal of some apps, Facebook and Instagram, both owned by Meta, remain available on Apple’s China App Store. This reflects China’s complex and selective rules about app availability. Also, there is a significant difference between apps that are actively blocked by government firewalls and those not listed on the App Store, adding even more complexity to digital access control in China.