Apple confirms it pulled controversial dating apps Tea & TeaOnHer from the App Store

Controversial dating information apps, Tea and Tea connected Her, person been pulled from the Apple App Store. The apps’ removal was archetypal spotted by the app store quality supplier Appfigures, which told TechCrunch the 2 apps were removed from the App Store connected Tuesday successful each markets, but stay unrecorded connected Google Play.

Reached for comment, Apple confirmed the apps’ removal, saying it removed Tea Dating Advice and TeaOnHer from the App Store due to the fact that they failed to conscionable Apple’s requirements astir contented moderation and idiosyncratic privacy. The institution besides said it saw an excessive fig of idiosyncratic complaints and antagonistic reviews, which included complaints of minors’ idiosyncratic accusation being posted successful these apps.

Apple communicated the issues to the developers of the apps, a typical said, but the complaints were not addressed. (Request for remark from the app developers person not yet been returned.)

Specifically, Apple cited violations of its App Review Guidelines 1.2, 5.1.2, and 5.6. Rule 1.2 says apps with user-generated contented should connection reporting and blocking features, and should region objectionable content. Rule 5.1.2 says apps can’t usage oregon stock someone’s idiosyncratic accusation without permission, and 5.6 says excessive lawsuit reports and antagonistic reviews interruption Apple’s Developer Code of Conduct.

Tea and TeaOnHer person generated a batch of headlines and involvement since going viral earlier this year. Tea, which had softly existed since 2023 earlier picking up steam successful 2025, was pitched arsenic a dating information instrumentality for women, somewhat akin to the “Are We Dating the Same Guy?” Facebook Groups. The app encouraged women to spill details astir men, peculiarly those connected dating apps. This included their idiosyncratic information, Yelp-style reviews, and whether they’d dub them a “green flag” oregon “red flag.”

Many men, however, didn’t admit the app’s penetration into their privateness and questioned whether sharing accusation similar this could beryllium considered defamation.

After going viral and generating controversy, Tea suffered a information breach implicit the summer, with hackers gaining entree to 72,000 images, including 3,000 selfies and photograph IDs submitted for relationship verification, arsenic good arsenic 59,000 images from posts, comments, and nonstop messages.

Later, a rival app called TeaOnHer launched to connection men the quality to crockery connected women successful the aforesaid way, but it was beset by information issues that exposed users’ idiosyncratic information, including authorities IDs and selfies, TechCrunch discovered successful August.

Appfigures says the Tea app saw 6.1 cardinal full beingness downloads and had generated $5 cardinal successful gross gross to date. TeaOnHer had 2.2 cardinal downloads and didn’t connection in-app purchases.

With their removal, copycat apps are gaining traction. For instance, an app called Tea connected Her & Him – Overheard has 354,000 full downloads and has jumped from No. 90 connected the Overall Top App Charts to No. 27.