Apple Takes Down Popular Gay Dating App Grindr In China

Grindr is no longer available on Apple Inc.’s AAPL App Store in China, Bloomberg reported Monday.

What Happened: The popular gay dating app was taken down by App Store on Jan. 27, research firm Qimai told Bloomberg.

The app is also reportedly not available currently on app marketplaces of local companies such as Huawei and Tencent Holdings ADR TCEHY.

Alphabet Inc.’s GOOGL GOOG Android OS is not available in the country.

Why It Matters: The move follows China intensifying its crackdown on internet content, especially pornography, rumors or other illegal content ahead of the Winter Olympics.

There have long been concerns of censorship in the country, with popular services such as LinkedIn and Battle Royale game Fortnite bowing out of the market.

Apple in late 2020 also removed thousands of games from its App Store in China in efforts to comply with local regulations.

Price Action: Apple shares closed nearly 7% higher at $170.33 in the regular session on Friday.