Apple removed WhatsApp and Threads from its app store in China after being ordered to do so by the Chinese government, according to the Wall Street Journal.
China’s top internet regulator has asked Apple to remove both apps over national security concerns.
“We are obligated to follow the laws of the countries in which we operate, even if we disagree,” an Apple spokesperson told the Journal.
The Chinese government has blocked WhatsApp since 2017, while its parent company, Meta, has been blocked since 2009. Other Western media platforms, including Gmail, YouTube, Snapchat and Spotify, have also been censored in China.
Some users find ways to access these platforms through virtual private networks, but removing the App Store may prevent this.
Apple did not immediately respond to Business Insider’s request for comment sent outside of normal business hours.
A Meta spokesperson referred BI to Apple for comment.
WhatsApp has more than 2 billion users worldwide, while Instagram Threads, launched in July, has more than 130 million users worldwide, CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in February.
China is an important manufacturing and consumption market for Apple. CEO Tim Cook visited the country last month to open a new store in Shanghai and rub shoulders with key policymakers. The visit came after iPhone sales plummeted earlier this year. And in January, Chinese chipmakers laid out plans to create chip production lines to supply processors to local smartphone manufacturers. The move risks hurting Apple, which has so far benefited from strict export restrictions.
China’s move toward Apple comes as U.S. policymakers debate a ban on TikTok, the popular Chinese app. Some lawmakers worry about data collection and political influence. The bill would block Apple and Google from distributing the TikTok app in their app stores and ban U.S. websites from hosting TikTok.
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