China Blocks Access to Google’s Gmail as Ban Escalates

China blocked access to Google’s e-mail service through third-party applications, adding Gmail to the list of services from the company banned in the world’s largest Internet market.

Traffic volume for Gmail dropped about 85 percent on Dec. 26 before falling further the following day and remains near zero as of Dec 29, according to data posted on Google’s Transparency Report page. While Gmail’s website had already been blocked, the latest restrictions cut off users of third-party services including the Mail app built into Apple iPhones and iPads. Those e-mails can no longer be accessed while messages sent to and from Gmail to Chinese domestic e-mail services haven’t been bounced back.