New York Times app pulled from Chinese App Store after government request

Apple Inc. has removed the New York Times‘ news apps from its App Store in China, following a request from the Chinese authorities.

Apple removed both the English-language and Chinese-language apps from the App Store in China on Dec. 23, according to the New York Times, which first reported the action.

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“The request by the Chinese authorities to remove our apps is part of their wider attempt to prevent readers in China from accessing independent news coverage by The New York Times of that country,” the New York Times spokesperson Eileen Murphy told Reuters.

“We have asked Apple to reconsider their decision,” Murphy said.

“We have been informed that the app is in violation of local regulations,” Fred Sainz, an Apple spokesperson told Reuters.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "We have been informed that the app is in violation of local regulations," Fred Sainz, an Apple spokesperson told Reuters.

Users in China who already have the app shouldn’t be affected by the removal, but no new users will be able to purchase and download it.

The Chinese government began blocking The Times’ websites in 2012, after a series of articles on the wealth amassed by the family of Wen Jiabao, who was then prime minister, according to the New York Times report.

The Times also says the current request to remove their app also came after articles released in regards to the Chinese government; one detailed what The Times called billions of dollars in “hidden perks and subsidies” that the Chinese government gave to an iPhone factory, while another called the government out for promoting an anti-Western internet video.

Apple has also had trouble with regulations in the foreign nation. The iTunes and iBooks stores were shut down in 2016 with no explanation given from Chinese officials or Apple.

Apps from other international publications, including The Financial Times and The Wall Street Journal, were still available in the app store, the New York Times reported.

*With files from Rebecca Joseph