The Chinese authorities justified this order with threats to national security, Apple announced on Friday. “We are obliged to follow the laws in the countries where we operate, even if we disagree.” Meta did not want to comment on this topic and referred to Apple. The Wall Street Journal first reported on the incident. According to a review by the Reuters news agency, the programs of other meta-services such as Facebook, Facebook Messenger and Instagram were still available in Apple’s Chinese App Store. The same applied to other popular programs from Western providers such as the video platform YouTube or the short message service X, formerly known as Twitter.
Apple emphasized that the messenger WhatsApp and its X-rival Threads were still available for download in the app stores of other countries. Under government pressure, the iPhone provider removed the New York Times app from the Chinese App Store in 2017 for allegedly violating regulations. At that time, the government had begun to tighten its censorship. According to some experts, the deletion of WhatsApp and Threads could be related to a new law that came into force at the beginning of the month. It obliges providers to register their programs with the authorities.