Apple has confirmed that it has pulled controversial dating apps Tea and TeaOnHer from the App Store

Controversial dating safety apps Tea and TeaOnHer have been pulled from Apple’s App Store. The removal of the apps was first spotted by Appfigures, an app store information provider, which told TechCrunch that the two apps were removed from the App Store on Tuesday in all markets but remained live on Google Play.

After reaching out for comment, Apple confirmed the apps had been removed, saying it had removed Tea Dating Advice and TeaOnHer from the App Store because they failed to meet Apple’s requirements related to content moderation and user privacy. The company also said it had seen a large number of user complaints and negative reviews, which included complaints about minors’ personal information being posted on these apps.

An Apple representative said it informed app developers of the issues, but the complaints were not addressed. (A request for comment from the app developers has not yet been returned.)

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 offer reporting and blocking features and must remove unwanted content. Rule 5.1.2 says apps can’t use or share someone’s personal information without permission, and Rule 5.6 says excessive customer reports and negative reviews violate Apple’s developer code of conduct.

Tea and TeaOnHer have generated a lot of headlines and attention since they went viral earlier this year. Tea, which has been quietly around since 2023 before gaining traction in 2025, has been pitched as a dating safety tool for women, a bit like asking “Are we dating the same guy?” Facebook groups. The app encouraged women to reveal details about men, especially those on dating apps. This includes their personal information, their Yelp-style reviews, and whether they would call it a “green flag” or a “red flag.”

However, many men did not appreciate the app invading their privacy and wondered whether sharing such information could be considered defamation.

After going viral and sparking controversy, Tea suffered a data breach over the summer, in which hackers accessed 72,000 photos, including 3,000 selfies and photo IDs provided for account verification, as well as 59,000 photos from posts, comments and direct messages.

Later, a competing app called TeaOnHer launched to offer men the ability to approach women in the same way, but it ran into security issues that exposed users’ personal information, including government IDs and selfies, TechCrunch discovered in August.

Appfigures says the Tea app has seen 6.1 million total lifetime downloads and generated $5 million in total revenue to date. The TeaOnHer app has 2.2 million downloads and offers no in-app purchases. It is noted that the applications remain live on Google Play for the time being.

However, with the removal of the App Store, imitators have gained more attention. For example, an app called TeaOnHer and Him – Overheard received 354,000 downloads and jumped from 90th on the list of top apps overall to 27th.