Apple has started delisting podcast apps from its App Store in China. The company tells developers that the Cyberspace Administration of China has deemed certain podcast content to be illegal.

Pocket Casts and Castro are gone from Chinas App Store
Pocket Casts for iOS.
Photo by Sam Byford / The Verge
Apple has removed Pocket Casts, the popular iOS and Android podcast client, from the App Store in China. The Cyberspace Administration of China has determined that it can be used to access content deemed illegal in the country, and has demanded that Apple remove the app as a result. Its the second major podcast app to be removed from Chinas App Store this month.
We believe podcasting is and should remain an open medium, free of government censorship, Pocket Casts says in a statement posted to Twitter. As such we wont be censoring podcast content at their request. We understand this means that its unlikely that our iOS App will be available in China, but feel its a necessary step to take for any company that values the open distribution model that makes podcasting special.
Apple didnt say which content violated Chinese law
Pocket Casts tells The Verge that Apple didnt provide specifics on which content violated Chinese law upon request, instead suggesting that the team reach out to the Cyberspace Administration of China directly. The app was removed around two days after Apple contacted the developer. China represented its seventh biggest market, Pocket Casts says, and it was considered to be growing.
Castro, another iPhone podcast app, was also recently pulled from Chinas App Store. The developers say China made up 10 percent of its user base, although it accounted for a smaller percentage of paying subscribers. Apple didnt provide Castro with specifics on what content fell foul of Chinese regulations, either.
The Verge has contacted Apple for more information on the matter, including which podcasts China considers illegal and what actions developers are expected to take, but is yet to hear back.