A US judge today blocked the Commerce Department's WeChat download ban just hours before it took effect.

Judge Laurel Beeler in San Francisco said it had approved "the plaintiff's proposal to enact a nationwide court order against enforcement" of the ban from the government.

Judge Beeler's order also blocks the Department of Commerce's request to ban transactions other than WeChat in the US that could impair existing users using the app.

The US Department of Commerce did not comment.

WeChat has an average of 19 million daily active users in the US, according to data from analytics firm Apptopia in early August. It's quite popular among Chinese students, Americans living in China, and some

The US Justice Department said blocking the WeChat ban "would" disappoint and undermine the president's determination to find the best way to deal with national security threats ".

However, Judge Beeler argued that "while the evidence of a national security threat associated with China is substantial, the specific evidence for WeChat is very modest".

The WeChat User Coalition praised Judge Beeler's ruling "as an important and difficult victory" for "millions of WeChat users across the United States".