Apple removes Tea dating apps after breaches expose IDs
Apple has pulled two controversial dating safety apps from its App Store following a cascade of data breaches and privacy violations that exposed users' driver's licenses and private messages to hackers.
The tech giant confirmed Tuesday that it removed Tea Dating Advice and TeaOnHer from the App Store across all markets after the apps failed to address serious content moderation and user privacy concerns. The removal came after Apple received what it described as an "excessive number of user complaints and negative reviews," including alarming reports of minors' personal information being posted on the platforms.
Summaries 3 keypoints:
- Apple removed Tea and TeaOnHer from the App Store for violating content moderation and privacy rules, citing guideline sections 1.2, 5.1.2, and 5.6 after a surge of complaints, including reports of minors’ data appearing in the apps.
- The action followed major breaches at Tea that exposed driver’s license images and large volumes of private messages, with similar security issues reported for TeaOnHer, intensifying concerns over user data protection.
- Apple said developers were notified but failed to address the problems; as of the latest reports, the apps remain available on Android while copycats have appeared, and analytics firms highlighted Tea’s rapid growth prior to removal.
Major Security Failures Prompt Action
Tea, which rocketed to the top of the App Store this summer as a platform for women to anonymously review men they'd encountered on dating apps, suffered a catastrophic data breach on July 25 that exposed 72,000 user images, including selfies and government-issued IDs used for account verification. The stolen data was subsequently dumped on the notorious message board 4chan, sparking concerns about identity theft and harassment.[1][2][3][4]
A second breach later revealed that hackers had accessed more than 1.1 million private direct messages containing sensitive conversations about topics including abortion, cheating, and assault. TeaOnHer, a copycat app launched by developer Xavier Lampkin that allowed men to review women, faced similar security vulnerabilities that exposed users' verification documents and email addresses within hours of its launch.[3][5][6][7]
Apple Cites Guideline Violations
Apple told TechCrunch that both apps violated multiple App Store guidelines, including Rule 1.2, which requires apps with user-generated content to provide reporting and blocking features for objectionable material, and Rule 5.1.2, which prohibits apps from sharing users' personal information without permission. The company also cited Rule 5.6, stating that excessive customer complaints and negative reviews violate Apple's Developer Code of Conduct.[1][2]
"Apple communicated the issues to the developers of the apps, but they were not addressed," an Apple representative said. Despite the App Store removal, both applications remain available on Google Play Store, and multiple copycat apps have emerged to fill the void. According to app analytics firm Appfigures, Tea recorded 6.1 million lifetime downloads and generated $5 million in gross revenue before its removal.[2][3][4][1]
Reference sources:
[1](https://techcrunch.com/2025/10/22/apple-confirms-it-pulled-controversial-dating-apps-tea-and-teaonher-from-the-app-store/)
[2](https://www.macrumors.com/2025/10/22/apple-removes-tea-dating-apps/)
[3](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/technology/tech-news/apple-says-it-has-removed-viral-dating-apps-tea-and-teaonher-from-app-store-says-developers-failed-to-/articleshow/124747649.cms)
[4](https://www.techbuzz.ai/articles/apple-pulls-tea-teaonher-dating-apps-over-privacy-violations)
[1](https://www.404media.co/women-dating-safety-app-tea-delisted-from-apple-app-store/)
[2](https://captaincompliance.com/education/the-tea-app-breach-a-catastrophic-privacy-failure-in-the-quest-for-womens-safety-online/)
[3](https://www.exterro.com/resources/data-privacy-alerts/data-privacy-alert-tea-app-data-breach-exposes-legacy-user-verification-photos-and-private-messages)
[4](https://techinformed.com/controversy-brews-for-tea-dating-app/)
[5](https://www.brightdefense.com/resources/recent-data-breaches/)
[6](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/found-teaonher-spilling-users-driver-140000856.html)
[7](https://techcrunch.com/2025/08/06/a-rival-tea-app-for-men-is-leaking-its-users-personal-data-and-drivers-licenses/)