China forces Apple to delist WhatsApp and Threads from App Store

Foreign apps and services being blocked in China is not a new occurrence. The extensive internet censorship and traffic control that is referred to as the “Great Firewall of China” has resulted in the ban of, among many other services, Google’s software suite including YouTube and Search starting in 2010. The Chinese government has continued to add to its list of restricted/blocked services over the years with Facebook and WhatsApp added to the pile in 2009 and 2017 respectively.

Using national security concerns as the basis, Chinese authorities have now further increased restrictions on Meta.

Wall Street Journal now reports that Apple has removed WhatsApp and Threads, both of which are owned by Meta, from the App Store in China in accordance with the orders of the Chinese government. While WhatsApp has been banned in the country since 2017, this is the first time that Threads has been targeted. The X-rival which was first introduced last year, had been available to local users without any restrictions till now.

Sadly, like other foreign companies operating in the region, Apple has no way of opposing the Chinese authorities and must comply with the demands of the government. So, until the authorities reverse their decision, iPhones in China (Buy the iPhone 15 Pro on Amazon) will remain without WhatsApp and Threads.