Duolingo language app removed in China

Duolingo Inc., a Pittsburgh company that makes a popular language-learning app, was removed from some app stores in China, signaling the government’s crackdown on for-profit education is extending beyond the country’s shores, Bloomberg reports.

“We are working to address the issue and are hopeful that the app will be reinstated in the near term,” the company said in an emailed statement. “In the meanwhile, existing users in China can continue to use the app as they always do.”

Unverified reports of the app’s removal spread on social media Thursday, briefly sending Duolingo’s stock dipping. It ended the day with a 3 percent gain.