54 Chinese Apps Banned List: Government of India blocked 54 mobile apps on 14 February 2022 on the recommendation of Ministry of Home Affairs. The blocking order was issued by Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) under Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000. These apps were flagged for collecting sensitive user data and sending it to servers outside India, which raised data privacy and national security concerns.
This batch came after the June 2020 action, when 59 Chinese apps were blocked first, and then more batches followed. The list of 54 banned Chinese apps has known names like Garena Free Fire, Beauty Camera, AppLock, Dual Space and Viva Video. Full app names and the current status of this ban in 2026 are given below.
54 Chinese Apps Banned List in India
All 54 apps came in a single blocking order dated 14 February 2022. The batch covered gaming titles, video chat apps, selfie camera apps, music and equalizer tools, dual space and app cloner apps, and a few utility apps like barcode scanner and voice recorder. Reports at that time said many of these apps were picking up contact lists, location, photos and device details without clear consent from users.
One point worth knowing is that not every app in this list belongs to a China-based company. A few of them, including Garena Free Fire, started in Singapore or Hong Kong, but reports said their user data was being routed to Chinese servers. That is the main reason these names were added to the ban order.
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| List Name | 54 Chinese Apps Banned List in India |
| Ban Order Date | 14 February 2022 |
| Order Issued By | Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) |
| Recommended By | Ministry of Home Affairs |
| Legal Power Used | Section 69A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 |
| Reason for Ban | Data privacy and national security concerns |
| Total Apps Blocked Since 2020 | More than 250 apps in different batches |
| Ban Status in 2026 | Still in force |
| Official Website | meity.gov.in |
Blocking orders under Section 69A are often not shared as a public list by the ministry, so the app names given below were put together from the official order and the February 2022 reports.
Complete List of 54 Banned Chinese Apps
These are the 54 app names as they appeared in the ban order. Games like Rise of Kingdoms, EVE Echoes, Astracraft and Badlanders are in this list, along with utility apps like AppLock, Dual Space, Voice Recorder and Barcode Scanner.
- Garena Free Fire - Illuminate
- Beauty Camera - Selfie Camera
- Equalizer - Bass Booster & Volume EQ & Virtualizer
- Music Player - Music, MP3 Player
- Equalizer & Bass Booster - Music Volume EQ
- Music Plus - MP3 Player
- Equalizer Pro - Volume Booster & Bass Booster
- Video Player Media All Format
- Music Player - Equalizer & MP3
- Volume Booster - Loud Speaker & Sound Booster
- Music Player - MP3 Player
- Cam Card for Sales Force Ent
- Isoland 2: Ashes of Time Lite
- Rise of Kingdoms: Lost Crusade
- APUS Security HD (Pad Version)
- Parallel Space Lite 32 Support
- Viva Video Editor - Snack Video Maker with Music
- Nice Video Baidu
- Tencent Xriver
- Onmyoji Chess
- Onmyoji Arena
- AppLock
- Dual Space Lite - Multiple Accounts & Clone App
- Dual Space Pro - Multiple Accounts & App Cloner
- DualSpace Lite - 32Bit Support
- Dual Space - 32Bit Support
- Dual Space - 64Bit Support
- Dual Space Pro - 32Bit Support
- Conquer Online - MMORPG Game
- Conquer Online II
- Live Weather & Radar - Alerts
- Notes - Color Notepad, Notebook
- MP3 Cutter - Ringtone Maker & Audio Cutter
- Voice Recorder & Voice Changer
- Barcode Scanner - QR Code Scan
- Lica Cam - selfie camera app
- EVE Echoes
- Astracraft
- U Game Booster - network solution for high ping
- Extraordinary Ones
- Badlanders
- Stick Fight: The Game Mobile
- Twilight Pioneers
- Cute: Match With The World
- SmallWorld - Enjoy group chat and video chat
- CuteU Pro
- FancyU - Video Chat & Meetup
- RealU: Go Live, Make Friends
- MoonChat: Enjoy Video Chats
- RealU Lite - video to live!
- Wink: Connect Now
- FunChat - Meet People Around You
- FancyU Pro - Instant Meetup through Video
- Beauty Camera: Sweet Selfie HD
Are These Banned Apps Available in India in 2026?
The ban is still in force in 2026. Apps like TikTok, WeChat, UC Browser and ShareIt are still not listed for Indian users on Google Play Store or Apple App Store. Even so, a report from 2025 found that more than 30 blocked apps were back on the app stores in cloned form, with changed developer names and new app icons. So an app that looks new on the store may actually be a copy of a blocked app.
Garena Free Fire has not made an official return. Garena Free Fire Max was not part of this 54 app ban order, so players could keep using that version. A Free Fire India launch has been discussed for a long time, but no confirmed date has been announced.
How to Check If an App Is Banned in India
STEP 1 - Go to the official website of Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology at meity.gov.in and open the notifications or press release section. Blocking orders and related updates are posted there.
STEP 2 - Search for the app name on Google Play Store or Apple App Store. If the app does not show up for Indian users, there is a good chance that it is blocked in India.
STEP 3 - Check the Press Information Bureau website for the official announcement of the ban. PIB releases carry the batch details, like the 59 app ban of June 2020 and the 54 app ban of February 2022.
STEP 4 - If a website is offering a banned app as an APK file, stay away from it. Such files are not checked by the app store and can put your phone and your data at risk.
What to Do If a Banned App Is Still on Your Phone
If a banned app is still installed on your phone, the safe step is to uninstall it. A blocked app may stop working, but it can keep your old data sitting on the device. Open Settings, go to Apps and remove it. After that, check the permissions that were given to that app, like contacts, camera, microphone and location, and take back any leftover access. Also change the password of any account you made inside that app, mainly if the same password is used on other apps.
For most of these apps, replacements are easy to find. Video chat, gaming, music and photo apps from Indian and global developers are available on both app stores, and they follow the local data rules.
More Banned App and Website Lists
The full picture of blocked apps is covered in the updated list of banned Chinese apps in India with 267 blocked apps. If you want the 2020 batch, see the list of 43 banned Chinese apps, and for a wider view read the Indian government banned apps list.
For the official record of blocking orders and related notifications, visit the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology website at meity.gov.in.