China has banned the WhatsApp, Signal, Threads, and Telegram apps from the iPhone App Store. The Wall Street Journal reports Apple was forced to comply with the country’s censorship demands.
In a statement sent to the publication, Apple said, “The Cyberspace Administration of China ordered the removal of these apps from the China storefront based on their national security concerns. “We are obligated to follow the laws in the countries where we operate, even when we disagree.”
While Apple was forced to remove the above apps, there are still several popular foreign apps still available in the Chinese App Store, including YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, and X. At this moment, it isn’t clear why China banned the WhatsApp, Signal, Threads, and Telegram apps for security concerns. However, this isn’t the first time the country has prohibited apps without providing a specific reason.
It’s possible that WhatsApp and other apps didn’t comply with a new rule that requires all apps available in China to register with the government. The apps are not widely used in the country.
Firstly, the apps are already blocked on Chinese networks by the “Great Firewall,” which means they require the use of a virtual private network (VPN). The main messaging app in the country is WeChat, while Weibo is the most popular social media app in the country.
Over the years, Apple has banned several apps from the Chinese App Store after being told to by their Chinese overlords. Cupertino has been known to bow to China’s wishes regularly, as the country is responsible for manufacturing most of Apple’s products and the country is the second most profitable region after America.
In November 2022, Apple restricted AirDrop in China by limiting the ability to allow “Everyone” to AirDrop materials to the iPhone, it is now “Everyone for 10 minutes.” The move was likely made to limit the feature’s use by Chinese protestors who are potentially sharing anti-government materials.
That marks just one time Apple has bowed to Chinese government pressure. The Cupertino company allegedly reduced iCloud security for users in the country, and also removed thousands of apps from the App Store in China on two occasions.
