Apple removes WhatsApp & Threads from App Store in China

By Alimat Aliyeva

Apple has removed WhatsApp and Threads from the country's App Store after the Chinese government ordered it for national security reasons, Azernews reports, citing foreign media outlets.

In a statement, Apple said: "The Chinese Cyberspace Administration has ordered the removal of these programs from the Chinese online store for national security reasons. Even if we disagree with the laws of the countries in which we operate, we are obliged to comply with them."

The removal of the application may be related to a law passed in China in 2023, which requires applications operating in the country to register with the country's regulatory authority. Last August, Chinese authorities urged developers to comply with this rule by the end of March 2024, otherwise applications will stop working in the country.