Reached for comment, Apple confirmed the apps’ removal, saying it removed Tea Dating Advice and TeaOnHer from the App Store because they failed to meet Apple’s requirements around content moderation and user privacy. The company also said it saw an excessive number of user complaints and negative reviews, which included complaints of minors’ personal information being posted in these apps.

Apple communicated the issues to the developers of the apps, a representative said, but the complaints were not addressed. (Request for comment from the app developers has not yet been returned.)

Specifically, Apple cited violations of its 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 features 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 had quietly existed since 2023 before picking up steam in 2025, was pitched as a dating safety tool for women, somewhat similar to the “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-style reviews, and whether they’d dub them a “green flag” or “red flag.”

Many men, however, didn’t appreciate the app’s invasion into their privacy and questioned whether sharing information like this could be considered defamation.

After going viral and generating controversy, Tea suffered a data breach over the summer, with hackers gaining access to 72,000 images, including 3,000 selfies and photo IDs submitted for account verification, as well as 59,000 images from posts, comments, and direct messages.

Later, a rival app called TeaOnHer launched to offer men the ability to dish on women in the same way, but it was beset by security issues that exposed users’ personal information, including government IDs and selfies, TechCrunch discovered in August.

Appfigures says the Tea app saw 6.1 million total lifetime downloads and had generated $5 million in gross revenue to date. TeaOnHer had 2.2 million downloads and didn’t offer in-app purchases. It notes the apps remain live on Google Play for now.

With their App Store removal, however, copycats are gaining traction. For instance, an app called TeaOnHer and Him – Overheard has 354,000 total downloads and has jumped from No. 90 on the Overall Top App Charts to No. 27.