Tencent's social networking software WeChat has closed its new user registration portal for personal accounts, saying it is undergoing a technical upgrade.
Tencent customer service, when asked about this, gave an automatic response, saying that the platform system is currently undergoing a technical upgrade, during which new user registration for WeChat personal accounts is suspended.
The upgrade is expected to be completed and registration resumed in early August, Tencent customer service said.
On other social media platforms in China, some users said that this technical upgrade of WeChat might be part of the rectification of the online environment.
WeChat had 1.24 billion monthly active accounts in the first quarter, up 3.3 percent year-over-year and up 1.4 percent from the previous quarter, according to Tencent's earnings report for the first quarter.
Tencent reported total revenue of RMB135.3 billion ($20.6 billion) for the first quarter of 2021, up 25percent year-over-year.
Tencent reported operating earnings of RMB42.8 billion ($6.5 billion) for the first quarter of 2021, an increase of 20 percent year-over-year.