China

China Removes Gay Dating Apps Blued and Finka From App Stores

Published NOV 12 2025

#China

China Removes Gay Dating Apps Blued and Finka From App Stores

Story

Above: A student poses with a rainbow flag in Beijing on May 10, 2019. Image credit: GREG BAKER/AFP/Getty Images

The Facts

Chinese officials ordered the removal of two popular gay dating apps, Blued and Finka, from mobile stores in China, with Apple confirming the action was taken based on an order from the Cyberspace Administration of China, the government's national internet regulator.
Hong Kong Free Press HKFP
The Straits Times
BBC News on X
Blued and Finka share a Hong Kong-based owner and disappeared from both Apple and Android stores over the weekend, though an express version of Blued remained available for download from Apple's Chinese app store as of Tuesday.
CNN
The Telegraph
Although homosexuality was decriminalized in China in 1997, same-sex marriage is not legal.
Wired
ABS
BBC News
Blued reported having 54 million registered users worldwide, according to its international version HeeSay, while the app was launched in 2012 as China's biggest dating platform for gay men before its parent company acquired competitor Finka in 2020.
CNBC
The Economic Times
Popular gay dating app Grindr was previously removed from Chinese stores in 2022, coinciding with a Cyberspace Administration cleanup campaign before the Beijing Winter Olympics, while Blued had remained available at that time.
guardian
Thesun.My
Engadget
Apple stated it follows laws in countries where it operates and confirmed the apps were removed from China's storefront only, with existing users reportedly still able to access the applications.
Wired
The Straits Times

Sources Split

LEFT

CENTER

RIGHT

ESTAB
CRIT

CENTER

PRO
ESTAB

The Spin

Pro-China narrative

China's LGBTQ+ community thrives in cities like Chengdu, where gay couples openly hold hands without harassment. However, some Western media outlets tend to exaggerate or selectively frame stories such as this one to reinforce narratives of repression. These portrayals frequently serve broader political aims — undermining China’s sovereignty and advancing foreign agendas under the guise of promoting “civil society” and human rights.

Global Times

South China Morning Post

Anti-China narrative

Despite growing public acceptance, LGBTQ+ individuals in China continue to face systemic persecution. Authorities have systematically persecuted LGBTQ+ people through arrests, forced conversion therapy and family imprisonment. Transgender advocates have been charged with crimes such as “kidnapping,” and the government has repeatedly shut down Pride events and other expressions of queer visibility.