China recently ordered Apple to remove social media and messaging apps from its region’s App Store.
Apple took down Threads, Signal, Telegram, and WhatsApp from the Chinese App Store following a directive by the Chinese government, as per a Wall Street Journal report. In several media platforms, Apple said that the national internet regulator in the region had the apps removed from the App Store due to ‘national security concerns’, and that the company is ‘obligated to follow the laws in the countries where we operate, even when we disagree.’ The exact reasons for the removal and what kind of national security concerns is unclear, and Apple did not specify further.

Apple has had a history of complying with Chinese government requests. Apps from the Chinese App Store, including news apps, VPNs, and others were removed for various reasons. It’s not clear whether the mentioned apps will return.