Apple has removed WhatsApp and Threads apps from its store in China. Apple took this decision after the order of the Chinese government. These apps were considered a threat to national security by the government, although Meta's other apps like Facebook, Facebook Messenger, and Instagram are still present on the App Store.
Apart from this, foreign apps like YouTube and X are still available on the store and users can download them. The Cybersecurity Administration of China ordered the removal of these apps from the China Store based on its national security concerns. Apple has given this information in an email to news agency Reuters.
"We are bound by the laws of the countries in which we operate, even if we disagree," the statement from Apple said, although Meta has not yet said anything on this issue. Apart from this, the Cyberspace Administration has also not given any official statement yet.
Well, this matter has been going on since August last year. In August, Meta made changes in the policy regarding WhatsApp and Thread, after which the government said that the company would have to change its policy, otherwise, the apps would be banned. For this, Meta was given time till April 1, 2024, but Meta did not change its policy.
Action was also taken on the New York Times app
In the year 2017 also, Apple took similar action following the government's order. During that time, The New York Times News app was removed from Apple's App Store and even today after 6 years, the app has not returned to the App Store. Earlier last year, Apple had also removed AI apps like ChatGPT from the store.
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