Apple Adopts Tighter Chinese App Store Rules, Closing Foreign App Loophole

Apple has started requiring new apps to show proof of a Chinese government license in order to be listed on the China App Store, as the company joins rival app stores that adopted the policy years earlier to meet tightening state regulations (via Reuters). Apple last Friday began requiring an “internet content provider (ICP) filing” from developers when they submit new apps to be published on the local App Store. An ICP filing is the state registration system required for websites to operate legally in China. To get the license, developers must have a company in China or work with…