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This doesn't seem correct. It was just in the news that Meta had to remove one of their apps from the Chinese market at the request of the Chinese gov.

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That's my point, they are not officially banned, but they're just "not available in the app store" (which is effectively banned, just not under that name).

But that overt request was unusual. Most apps are simply removed as part of Apple's "compliance with local regulations".

The regulation recently changed and now requires all apps in the App Store to have a permit from the Chinese authority or be removed.

Ah interesting; I didn’t know that had changed. It looks like the gov is more open about the banning now.

Yes, China officially banned Threads and WhatsApp just a few days ago. They had Apple remove them from the App Store.

If the only way someone can use your product is flying to another country to acquire it, it's a ban. Giving it other language is supportive of Chinese government efforts to soften the reality around their unfair practices.

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