Controversial dating safety apps Tea and TeaOnHer have been pulled from the Apple App Store. The removal of the apps was first detected by the app store information provider Appfigureswhich told TechCrunch that the two apps were removed from the App Store on Tuesday in all markets, but remain live on Google Play.
Apple confirmed the removal of the apps, saying it removed Tea Dating Advice and TeaOnHer from the App Store because they failed to meet Apple’s content moderation and user privacy requirements. The company also said it saw an excessive number of user complaints and negative reviews, which included complaints about minors’ personal information being posted on these apps.
Apple communicated the issues to the app’s developers, a spokesperson said, 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 says apps with user-generated content should offer reporting and blocking capabilities and should remove objectionable 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 interest since going viral earlier this year. Tea, which has been quietly around since 2023 before picking up steam in 2025, has been pitched as a dating safety tool for women, somewhat similar to “Are we dating the same guy?’ Facebook groups. The app encouraged women to spill details about men, particularly those on dating apps. This included their personal information, Yelp reviews, and whether they would call them a “green flag” or “red flag.”
Many men, however, did not appreciate the application’s invasion of their privacy and respondent if sharing information like this could be considered defamation.
After going viral and creating controversy, Tea suffered a data breach over the summer, with hackers accessing 72,000 images, including 3,000 selfies and photo IDs submitted for account verification, as well as 59,000 images from posts, comments and instant messages.
Later, a rival app called TeaOnHer launched to offer men the ability to lunch women the same way, but it was beset by security issues that exposed users’ personal information, including government IDs and selfies, TechCrunch learned in August.
Appfigures says the Tea app has seen 6.1 million total lifetime downloads and has grossed $5 million to date. TeaOnHer had 2.2 million downloads and did not offer in-app purchases. He notes that the apps remain live on Google Play for now.
With the removal of the App Store, however, copycats are gaining traction. For example, an application is called TeaOnHer and Him – Heard has 354,000 total downloads and has jumped from No. 90 on the Total Top Apps Charts to No. 27.
