The Google Translate app and website now display a generic search bar and a link redirecting Chinese users to its page in Hong Kong, which is blocked on the mainland.
Users reported not being able to access the service since Saturday, according to Chinese social media posts. The translation feature built into the Google Chrome browser also no longer functions for users in China.
The Google Translate service was discontinued in China due to “low usage,” Google said in a statement. It is not clear how many users were using Google Translate in China.
The U.S. technology firm’s has a fraught relationship with China. In 2010, Google pulled its search engine from the Chinese market after it became unwilling to abide by the country’s censorship rules.
China later moved to block other Google services such as its email service Gmail and Google Maps.
