Apple pulls Tea dating-safety apps from App Store after privacy flaws

Apple removed the viral dating-safety apps Tea and TeaOnHer from the App Store worldwide on Oct. 21, saying the two services failed to meet the company’s rules on content moderation and user privacy. The apps remain available on Google Play for Android devices, but iPhone users can no longer download them.

Apple said it pulled Tea Dating Advice and TeaOnHer after receiving an excessive number of customer complaints and negative reviews, including reports that users had posted the personal information of minors. The company informed the apps’ developers of the problems but said the issues were not addressed. Apple cited violations of its App Review Guidelines 1.2, 5.1.2 and 5.6, which require mechanisms for reporting and blocking objectionable content, prohibit sharing someone’s personal information without permission, and allow removal when an app generates excessive customer reports.

Appfigures, an app store analytics provider, first flagged the removals and reported that Tea had amassed roughly 6.1 million lifetime downloads and about $5 million in gross revenue, while TeaOnHer had about 2.2 million downloads. Both apps gained viral attention in 2025 after launching earlier,...