Apple says that it has removed WhatsApp and Meta's Threads app at the behest of the Chinese government over "national security concerns."
According to Reuters, Friday, Apple issued a statement reading "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."
According to the report, both apps have been removed from Apple's App Store, however other popular apps including Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, YouTube, and X remain available.
Shock WhatsApp removal
While WhatsApp is an extremely popular app worldwide, its relevance in China is less prominent. Statista figures published in January, as of November 2023 the most popular messaging app in the country by some margin was WeChat, which has over a billion users, followed by QQ and Momo.
As per the report, both apps remain available for download elsewhere in the world, and some users based in China "are able to download the apps from Apple's App Stores in other countries if they have an iCloud account there."
Experts cited by Reuters indicate "the government order on WhatsApp and Threads could be related to a new rule last August that requires all apps available in China to register with the government or risk being removed," measures that came into effect on April 1.
In August Apple pulled ChatGPT-like apps from the iPhone in China, owing to new laws that state apps must promote healthy content and "adhere to core socialist values."
As Apple heads towards WWDC 2024 and the unveiling of iOS 18, reports indicate that Apple AI in China could be powered by a partnership with Baidu on the iPhone 16. Emerging reports indicate Apple may partner with other AI vendors, including Google and its Gemini AI, rather than offering its own large language model to users, at least initially.
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