Arab Press

بالشعب و للشعب
Friday, Jun 20, 2025

Apple offline in China amid row over Hong Kong anti-police app

iTunes and App Store inaccessible after decision not to pull app showing where Hong Kong police are

Over 100 million users of Apple gadgets in China have had trouble since the weekend accessing iTunes and App Store – the US tech behemoth’s online marketplaces for apps and value-added content – on their iPhones and iPads.

The service glitch still not explained by Apple is believed to be due to Beijing’s move to barricade connections to the backbone network of the group’s services after Apple’s perceived inaction to pull a mapping app that can reportedly track the real-time deployment of Hong Kong police as riot squads continue to face protesters in the city’s streets.

HKmap.live – the app at the center of Beijing’s ire – has been lambasted by Chinese state media as a “thugs’ app” that “helps scoundrels get away with rioting.”

It has been the most downloaded app under the travel category for Apple’s Hong Kong App Store since huge protests spurred by a now-retracted China extradition bill in June.

Chinese news portals including NetEase reported on Tuesday that Apple’s office in China had been given a formal request to remove the “illegal” app with an unspecified deadline.

The app crowdsources the locations of specific police units and contingents, as well as protesters, as the opposing sides engage in pitched battles in Hong Kong’s narrow streets.

Apple previously delisted the app, developed by a team of anonymous tech experts, from its App Store earlier this month but reversed the decision not long after, despite receiving a deluge of complaints from users with Apple accounts registered on the mainland.

But a large number of supporters of the app also emerged almost instantly. Protesters who have spent their weekends scuffling with police over recent months hailed the app as a “life-saver” and an essential part of a demonstrator’s gear – along with helmets and goggles – to help them evade law enforcers.

HKmap.live relies on numerous users to report and track the deployment of police officers, cordons and their assets so that protesters can plan and coordinate their tactics for hit-and-run, flash mob attacks at government offices and train stations, while greatly reducing the risk of being waylaid and nabbed. The more users hooked together on the app, the more accurate the tracking and positioning.

Not available on mainland
The app is not available on the App Store for mainland China, where the content and apps are all carefully curated and examined to ensure strict conformity to Beijing’s draconian Internet laws and regulations.

The brisk business in Hong Kong, Taiwan and mainland China is a pillar supporting Apple’s profitability. It made $9.6 billion in sales from the Greater China Region in the April-to-June period, according to the company’s bourse filings.

Hong Kong’s anti-government and anti-Beijing demonstrators are gadget-savvy and smart enough about tech to strategize their moves and stay in touch, while keeping their communications and whereabouts away from the prying eyes of the authorities.

Among the other apps that they rely to advance their course is Telegram, a cloud-based, encrypted instant messaging service, which has also been on the receiving end of hacking suspected to have originated in mainland China.

Newsletter

Related Articles

Arab Press
0:00
0:00
Close
16 Billion Login Credentials Leaked in Unprecedented Cybersecurity Breach
Senate hearing on who was 'really running' Biden White House kicks off
G7 Leaders Fail to Reach Consensus on Key Global Issues
Mass exodus in Tehran as millions try to flee following Trump’s evacuation order
Iranian Military Officers Reportedly Seek Contact with Reza Pahlavi, Signal Intent to Defect
China's Iranian Oil Imports Face Disruption Amid Escalating Middle East Tensions
Trump Demands Iran's Unconditional Surrender Amid Escalating Conflict
Israeli Airstrike Targets Iranian State TV in Central Tehran
President Trump is leaving the G7 summit early and has ordered the National Security Council to the Situation Room
Netanyahu Signals Potential Regime Change in Iran
Analysts Warn Iran May Resort to Unconventional Warfare
Iranian Regime Faces Existential Threat Amid Conflict
Energy Infrastructure Becomes War Zone in Middle East
Iran Conducts Ballistic Missile Launches Amid Heightened Tensions with Israel
Iran Signals Openness to Nuclear Negotiations Amid Ongoing Regional Tensions
Shock Within Iran’s Leadership: Khamenei’s Failed Plan to Launch 1,000 Missiles Against Israel
UK Deploys Jets to Middle East Amid Rising Tensions
Exiled Iranian Prince Reza Pahlavi Urges Overthrow of Khamenei Regime
Wreck of $17 Billion San José Galleon Identified Off Colombia After 300 Years
Iran Launches Extensive Missile Attack on Israel Following Israeli Strikes on Nuclear Sites
Israel Issues Ultimatum to Iran Over Potential Retaliation and Nuclear Facilities
Coinbase CEO Warns Bitcoin Could Supplant US Dollar Amid Mounting National Debt
Trump to Iran: Make a Deal — Sign or Die
Operation "Like a Lion": Israel Strikes Iran in Unprecedented Offensive
Israel Launches 'Operation Rising Lion' Targeting Iranian Nuclear and Military Sites
Israeli Forces Intercept Gaza-Bound Aid Vessel Carrying Greta Thunberg
IMF Warns of Severe Global Trade War Impacts on Emerging Markets
Syria to Reconnect to Global Economy After 14 Years of Isolation
Saudi Arabia Faces Uncertainty Over Succession After Mohammed bin Salman
Israel Confirms Arming Gaza Clan to Counter Hamas Influence
Majority of French Voters View Macron's Presidency as a Failure
U.S. Reduces Military Presence in Syria
Trump Demands Iran End All Uranium Enrichment in Nuclear Talks
Iran Warns Europe Against Politicizing UN Nuclear Report
Businessman Mauled by Lion at Luxury Namibian Lodge
Paris Saint-Germain's Greatest Triumph Is Football’s Lowest Point
OPEC+ Agrees to Increase Oil Output for Third Consecutive Month
Turkey Detains Istanbul Officials Amid Anti-Corruption Crackdown
Meta and Anduril Collaborate on AI-Driven Military Augmented Reality Systems
EU Central Bank Pushes to Replace US Dollar with Euro as World’s Main Currency
European and Arab Ministers Convene in Madrid to Address Gaza Conflict
Head of Gaza Aid Group Resigns Amid Humanitarian Concerns
U.S. Health Secretary Ends Select COVID-19 Vaccine Recommendations
Trump Warns Putin Is 'Playing with Fire' Amid Escalating Ukraine Conflict
India and Pakistan Engage Trump-Linked Lobbyists to Influence U.S. Policy
U.S. Halts New Student Visa Interviews Amid Enhanced Security Measures
Trump Administration Cancels $100 Million in Federal Contracts with Harvard
SpaceX Starship Test Flight Ends in Failure, Mars Mission Timeline Uncertain
King Charles Affirms Canadian Sovereignty Amid U.S. Statehood Pressure
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Founder Warns Against Trusting Regime in Nuclear Talks
×