Apple removes WhatsApp and Threads from the App Store in China
Apple has removed Meta’s WhatsApp and Threads apps from the App Store in China. The company did this after an order from the Chinese government, due to concerns about national security, Reuters reports.
China’s Cyberspace Administration ordered the removal of these apps from the storefront in China for national security reasons. We are obliged to comply with the laws in the countries where we operate, even if we disagree.
Apple said in a statement sent to Reuters
Some experts in China’s tech industry have said that the government’s order against WhatsApp and Threads may be related to a new rule passed last August requiring all apps available in China to register with the government or risk being deleted.
Reuters checked the availability of other Meta apps in China. Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger remained available as of the morning of April 19.
Popular apps such as YouTube and the X network also work.
It is not known what kind of danger WhatsApp and Threads posed to China.
Meta declined to comment.
