WhatsApp back online in Brazil after court temporarily blocked the service

The WhatsApp ban in Brazil went into effect at midnight Wednesday (0200 GMT Thursday); and was supposed to last for 48 hours.

Millions of Brazilians woke up shocked and cranky Thursday after the popular WhatsApp smartphone messaging application was shut down for two days on a judge’s order.

However, the shutdown order stems from a criminal proceeding in the Sao Paulo State Justice Tribunal in São Bernardo do Campo, the court said in a statement. Failing to follow the court’s order could result in fines or the arrest of employees, according to Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper.

WhatsApp is the most installed app in the country as there are around 92.5 percent of Android devices in Brazil which have this app, according to SimilarWeb, an internet intelligence and marketing company.

Earlier, Brazilian media had reported that Judge Sandra Regina Nostre Marques applied the ban in relation to the app’s withholding of messages relating to a suspect in a drug trafficking investigation.

“We are working hard to get this block reversed”. “This hurts consumers, and overnight it affected millions of users”. This means that many choose to keep in touch with friends and family via internet messaging services, rather than pricier voice calls or text messages.

Meanwhile, users are flocking to WhatsApp’s rival Telegram, which has picked up over 1 million new users in a day. “Brazilians have always been among the most passionate in sharing their voice online”, Zuckerberg said in a statement, urging a reversal.

He said: “This is a sad day for Brazil”. Facebook’s press office was not immediately available for comment.

This came hours after a different Brazilian judge ordered to block the messaging service amidst heavy uproar from Facebook and users.