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- Apple on Saturday removed Unjected, a dating app for the unvaccinated, from its App Store.
- Apple told the app it "inappropriately refers to the COVID-19 pandemic in its concept or theme."
- Unjected said on Instagram that the app offered medical autonomy and freedom of choice.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
Apple on Saturday removed Unjected, a dating-and-community app for unvaccinated people, from its App Store, in a move that the app's owners likened to censorship.
"Apparently, we're considered 'too much' for sharing our medical autonomy and freedom of choice," the company said in a video posted on Instagram on Saturday. "So, of course, Apple removed us."
Bloomberg News on Saturday reported that Apple removed the app after being contacted by a reporter.
Unjected posted a screenshot of the Bloomberg News story, saying: "We must use our voices. We are fighting the censorship of our freedoms and we won't stop."
Unjected launched in May as a dating app – one Twitter user called it "OK Q-Pid" – but had recently rolled out additional features. One was a list of businesses that "respect our autonomy and promote freedom."
The company posted a screenshot of Apple's take-down message, which read in part: "Specifically, your social networking app inappropriately refers to the COVID-19 pandemic in its concept or theme."
Unjected said on Instagram, where it has about 25,000 followers, that it had deleted features, including a social feed and "blood bank," in an attempt to stay on the App Store.
"We are looking into ways to get off of Apple and Google," the company said. "But the easiest transition for us might be to make the website as great as possible since they can't shut that down like the app."
Insider has reached out to Unjected, Apple, and Instagram for comment.
The app on Sunday was still available on the Google Play store, where users mostly gave it middling reviews, including: "Amazing concept but holy $%^& this app is practically unusable."
