SHENZHEN (Reuters): Signal app is not working in china unless users turn on their VPN service. The Signal app has been banned in the country.
Is the Signal app down in China?
Cyber authorities of China have become severely strict in recent years. Several media outlets, apps, and social media sites have been banned in the country.
Signal’s website is also not accessible in china since Tuesday morning.
The Signal app is still appearing on Apple’s iOS store in china. Meanwhile, the app is working perfectly in Hong Kong.
Digital Phablet’s team reached the Signal team, and they did not respond to our request for comment.
Also, the Cyberspace Administration of China has not commented on Digital Phablet’s request.
The app was already not available on the third-party stores that are accessible in China. The majority of Google services have been blocked in the country.
This isn’t the first time, previously the app had stopped working until the users enable their VPN service to use the app, but it was later resumed without giving any statement.
Signal saw a surge in downloads globally after WhatsApp announced their new privacy terms, which obtains the rights to use and share user data, including phone numbers and live locations.
Signal and Telegram have now become the most used app beating WhatsApp on all platforms globally.
China has only allowed one communication app, WeChat, which Tencent develops.