Controversial dating safety apps Tea and TeaOnHer have been removed from the Apple App Store. The removal of the apps was first discovered by app store intelligence provider Appfigures, which told TechCrunch that the two apps were removed from the App Store in all markets on Tuesday, but remain in place on Google Play.
When asked for comment, Apple confirmed that the apps Tea Dating Advice and TeaOnHer had removed from the App Store because they did not meet Apple’s requirements for content moderation and user privacy. The company also said it had received an excessive number of user complaints and negative reviews, including complaints that personal information of minors was posted on these apps.
A representative said Apple notified the app’s developer of the issue, but the complaint was not addressed. (A request for comment from the app developer has not yet been responded to.)
Specifically, Apple cited violations of App Review Guidelines 1.2, 5.1.2, and 5.6. Rule 1.2 states that apps with user-generated content must provide reporting and blocking capabilities to remove objectionable content. Rule 5.1.2 says apps can’t use or share someone’s personal information without their permission, and Rule 5.6 says excessive customer reporting and negative reviews violate Apple’s Developer Code of Conduct.
Tea and TeaOnHer have generated a lot of headlines and interest since going viral earlier this year. Tea, which has existed quietly since 2023 before going full-fledged in 2025, is pitched as a safe dating tool for women, somewhat similar to “Are we dating the same guy?” Facebook group. The app encouraged women to reveal details about men, especially dating apps. This includes personal information, Yelp-style reviews, and whether it’s called a “green light” or a “red light.”
However, many men were not happy with the app’s invasion of privacy and questioned whether sharing such information could be considered defamation.
After going viral and causing controversy online, Tea suffered a data breach over the summer in which hackers accessed 72,000 images, including 3,000 selfies and photo IDs submitted to verify the account, and 59,000 images from posts, comments, and direct messages.
A rival app called TeaOnHer has since offered men the ability to entertain women in a similar way, but TechCrunch discovered in August that it had security issues that exposed users’ personal information, such as government IDs and selfies.
According to Appfigures, the Tea app has had 6.1 million lifetime downloads and has generated $5 million in gross revenue to date. TeaOnHer had 2.2 million downloads but did not offer in-app purchases. It says the app will remain publicly available on Google Play for now.
But the App Store takedown has given rise to copycats. For example, the app TeaOnHer and Him – Overheard had a total of 354,000 downloads and jumped from #90 to #27 on the overall top apps chart.
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