Due to national security concerns, Apple has deleted Threads and WhatsApp from its Chinese app store in response to a directive from the nation’s internet police.
The Meta-owned apps could only be accessible in China using virtual private networks (VPNs), which may encrypt internet traffic and mask a user’s online identity.
The apps were not extensively used and were already restricted in the nation.
The chairman of Beijing-based investment adviser BDA China, Duncan Clark, claims that Apple’s decision to remove the apps reflects a “further distancing between already separated tech universes” in the nation and abroad.
He claimed that customers and companies that deal with friends, family, or clients abroad may experience difficulties as a result of the withdrawal.
Apple’s China app store still offers X, Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and other well-known Western social networking apps.
The revelation from the tech giant coincides with declining iPhone sales in the second-largest economy in the world, which saw a 10% decline in smartphone sales in the first quarter of this year.
Due to rising competition, a challenging economy, and nationalism, the corporation has lost momentum in China.
Chinese consumers who earlier considered Apple are now more likely to resort to their nation’s brands, which includes Huawei and other Chinese brands like Xiaomi and OPPO/OnePlus.
Being the largest market after the US, China continues to be significant for Apple.
