We’ve been receiving tips that something was amiss with LINE in mainland China and it appears to be a very widespread problem, which is now taking shape as a possible complete block of the popular communications app.
Tech in Asia has reported on the apparent block, as have other publications and many users, and apparently it’s not just affecting the app itself, as LINE’s entire website appears to have been blacklisted.
The LINE app and website appear to have been blacklisted
It’s true that apps do have outages, but the fact that the website is giving users a “network connection lost” error whenever they try to visit it has us scratching our heads.
There’s still no confirmation of what exactly is going on aside from a statement LINE issued on the matter, but we’ll keep our eyes open.
These issues come at a pivotal moment for LINE, which is looking to largely upstage WeChat, which is China-based and is currently the dominant messaging application in the country.
If any of our China readers are able to access the app, please let us know in the comments below.
UPDATE: The block has been confirmed by GreatFire.org. Greatfire also tells Tech in Asia that lianwo8.com, the URL for Line’s localized app for mainland China, remains accessible.