Pray.com says its app is being removed from the Apple App Store in China

In a press release, Pray.com — a digital platform for faith-based content, prayer and spiritual community engagement — says it’s being removed from the Apple App Store in mainland China. 

This decision aligns with the Chinese government’s policies on Iinternet publishing and significantly affects Pray.com‘s mission to grow faith and cultivate community on a global scale, according to Steve Gatena, founder and CEO of Pray.com. A direct consequence of this action is that individuals in China will no longer have the ability to participate in the National Day of Prayer livestream through Pray.com.

This revocation signals a change from previous policies, which allowed the Christian prayer app to minister in the Communist nation. “Since starting Pray.com we’ve grown accustomed to positive relations with China. President Xi has allowed for the printing of nearly 150 million Bibles per year, and President Trump ensured that Bibles were exempt from Chinese tariffs,” said cofounder Michael Lynn.

Steve Gatena, founder and CEO of Pray.com, expressed that “in response to these limitations, our team is exploring alternative avenues to deliver our content and services to people in mainland China. As we work on a solution, I want to personally extend an invitation to President Xi Jinping to join us for this year’s National Day of Prayer event in Washington, D.C.”