Grindr disappears from app stores in China
Grindr, the world’s most famous dating app for gay and bi men, has reportedly disappeared from app stores in China.According to AFP, it was removed from Apple’s app store in China on Thursday.
It is also not on the Android store. Google’s Play Store is not available in the country.Related: Grindr hook-up leads to shock pregnancyThe removal of the app comes as China cracks down on online activity.
In recent months it has acted to remove access to pornography and instructed big tech to do more to create a “clean and healthy” cyberspace.Last summer, the country’s hugely popular WeChat social media platform removed many LGBTQ accounts, while in August authorities banned under-18s from playing online games for more than three hours a week.Tech entrepreneur Joel Simkhai launched Grindr in 2009.
In 2016, China-based gaming company Beijing Kunlun Tech bought a 61.5% stake in the app for $93million. In 2017, it bought the remaining 38.5% for $152million.However, the sale did not go down well with the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which moved to block the deal.
