WhatsApp Unexpectedly Becomes Available in China After 2017 Ban

In China, where a longstanding ban on the messaging app WhatsApp has been in place since 2017, some users are now reporting the unexpected ability to freely exchange messages without using a VPN. This situation is surprising, given the country’s strict internet restrictions enforced by the Great Firewall of China.

It is still unclear how many people have been able to use the banned app, but the first reports came from residents of Beijing and Shanghai. So far, the situation has not gained widespread attention on local social media.

WhatsApp, owned by Meta*, has been banned in China for many years, along with other foreign platforms such as Signal and Instagram*. For most locals, this is not a major issue, as apps like WeChat and Weibo dominate the market and are used daily by over a billion people.

Official representatives from WhatsApp have not commented on the sudden access, nor have officials from the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC).

In the past, Chinese users have experienced similar situations, which experts attributed to temporary glitches in the firewall, as access would appear briefly and then disappear just as quickly. However, this time, reports indicate that uninterrupted access to WhatsApp has lasted for two weeks—an unusually long period for China.

This phenomenon occurred shortly after Apple removed WhatsApp and other social networks from its Chinese App Store at the request of authorities. Some speculate that local specialists may have decided that, since the apps are no longer available in official stores, there is no need to block them. However, since only some users have gained access, this theory is unlikely to be the full explanation.

* Meta and its products are designated as extremist and their activities are banned in Russia.