Chinese social e-commerce platform Xiaohongshu (Red) said that it is now communicating with relevant departments to reach a solution after its app was found to have been removed from Android app stores.

The Global Times found that the app couldn't be downloaded on major Android app stores including those of Huawei, Oppo, Meizu and Yingyaobao (myapp), which is developed by Tencent, as of 6:30 pm (Beijing Time) on Tuesday. The app was still available on Apple's app stores. 

"Xiaohongshu's service is under adjustment and cannot be downloaded temporarily," read a notice after the Global Times searched for the app on Huawei app store. The app can be searched on myapp, but the results produce a notice saying that "the application is undergoing internal optimization and cannot be downloaded temporarily." 

In response, the Shanghai-based company said it had learned about the situation and was actively communicating and resolving the matter with relevant departments. 

It is not clear when the app will be available again on app stores. 

Some industry insiders said the reason behind the removal may be linked to problems concerning falsified "users' notes" to hike product sales. In April, the company also came under fire for posting 95,000 items of internet marketing information for cigarettes, which Chinese laws forbid. 

Founded in 2013, Xiaohongshu is popular among the Chinese young generation as it allows users to post reviews of products and share other users' contents, with a focus on product photos and shopping experience. If users are interested in items they see in photos, they can directly buy them from the platform. 

The app has 250 million users, with monthly active users hitting 85 million, media reports said.