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Dating apps Tea and TeaOnHer have gone viral this year, with millions of downloads, but Apple has now removed both of them from its App Store across all markets.
As first spotted by Appfigures, and reported by TechCrunch, the two apps were pulled on Tuesday after Apple determined that they both failed to meet requirements around content moderation and user privacy.
Specifically, they broke three rules from Apple's App Review Guidelines, including one designed to ensure developers include mechanisms to report offensive content and block abusive users on their platforms. They also violated rules around using or sharing someone’s information without their permission and having poor customer feedback about the apps.
Apple says it shared these issues with the apps' developers, but it chose to remove their apps when the concerns weren't addressed. The developers behind both apps have yet to publicly comment. Both apps remain on Google's Play Store.
Tea emerged in 2023, but picked up steam this year. It's designed for women to share their dating experiences with individual men to a wider pool of women who may interact with them on dating services in the future. Tea includes personal information about the people being reviewed, including ratings that indicate whether they are a “green flag” or a “red flag.”
The app was hit by major data breaches this summer, which leaked over 72,000 images, including photo IDs and selfies submitted by women using the app, as well as screenshots of direct messages and comments.
Earlier this year, TeaOnHer launched as an alternative for men to share their experiences of dating individual women. TechCrunch found that it was leaking users’ personal information, including their government IDs.
Alternative apps remain on Apple's marketplace. Tea On Her & Him - Overhead is in position 26 on the Top Free iPhone Apps chart in the US. Tea On Her! is at 97.