China crackdown on Apple store hits holy book apps, Audible

Amazon’s audiobook service Audible and phone apps for reading the holy books of Islam and Christianity have disappeared from the Apple store in mainland China, the latest examples of the impact of the country’s tightened rules for internet firms.

Audible said Friday that it removed its app from the Apple store in mainland China last month “due to permit requirements.”

The makers of apps for reading and listening to the Quran and Bible said their apps have also been removed from Apple’s China-based store at the government’s request.

Apple didn’t return requests for comment Friday. Neither did China’s embassy in the U.S.

China’s government has long sought to control the flow of information online, but is increasingly stepping up its enforcement of the internet sector in other ways, making it hard to determine the causes for a particular app’s removal.

Chinese regulators this year have sought to strengthen data privacy restrictions and limit how much time children can play video games. They are also exerting greater control over the algorithms used by tech firms to personalize and recommend content.

The popular U.S. languagelearning app Duolingo disappeared from Apple’s China store over the summer, as have many video-game apps.

Pakistan Data Management Services, which makes the Quran Majeed app, said it is awaiting more information from China’s internet authority about how it can be restored. The app has nearly one million users in China and about 40 million worldwide, said the Karachibased company.

Those who had already downloaded the app can still use it, said Hasan Shafiq Ahmed, the company’s head of growth and relationships.

“We are looking to figure out what documentation is needed to get approval from Chinese authorities so the app can be restored,” he said in an email.

The maker of a Bible app said it removed it from the Apple store in China after learning that it needed special permission to distribute an app with “book or magazine content.” Olive Tree Bible Software, based in Spokane, Washington, said it’s now reviewing the requirements to obtain the necessary permit.