U.S. appeals judge's ruling to block WeChat app store ban

The U.S. Justice Department on Friday said it was appealing a judge's decision to block the government from barring Apple Inc and Alphabet Inc's Google from offering WeChat for download in U.S. app stores.

The government said it was appealing to the 9th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals the Sept. 19 preliminary junction issued by U.S. Magistrate Judge Laurel Beeler that blocked the U.S. Commerce Department order that would also bar other U.S. transactions with Tencent Holding's WeChat, potentially making the app unusable in the United States.