What We Know About Apple’s Removal of Threads and WhatsApp from the China App Store

(Reuters) -Apple said on Friday that it has taken Meta Platforms’ WhatsApp and Threads down from the Chinese App Store at the behest of the Chinese government, which used the excuse of national security issues.

Checks by Reuters on Friday morning revealed that other Meta applications, including as Facebook, Instagram, and Messenger, were still accessible. You could download a ton of other well-known applications made by Western firms, including YouTube and X.

It was not immediately apparent how Chinese officials would have been concerned about security in relation to WhatsApp or threads.

Apple sent a comment to Reuters via email stating that “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,” the statement said.

Apple was contacted by Meta after they refused to respond.

An inquiry for comment was not immediately answered by the Chinese Cyberspace Administration.

The manufacturer of iPhones indicated that Threads and WhatsApp may still be downloaded via its other stores. If they have an iCloud account there, tech-savvy Chinese customers may download the applications from Apple’s App Stores abroad.

The government ban on WhatsApp and Threads, according to some experts on China’s internet sector, may be connected to a new regulation that was implemented in August of last year that mandates that all applications accessible in the country register with the government or face removal.

The restrictions went into force on April 1st, and firms had until the end of March to complete their registrations.

Apple has previously taken applications off of its China app store.

As press restrictions in the second-largest economy in the world increased, Apple withdrew The New York Times news app in 2017 on the grounds that it broke local laws. It’s still not accessible in the China App Store for Apple.

Apple removed many ChatGPT-like applications from the App Store last year while Beijing was developing local laws pertaining to generative AI services.

The Wall Street Journal was the first to report on WhatsApp and Threads being pulled from the China App Store.