Late Saturday night, TikTok abruptly stopped working in the United States and disappeared from both the Apple and Google app stores, in compliance with a new law set to take effect on Sunday. This law mandates the shutdown of the app, which is used by approximately 170 million Americans. However, President-elect Donald Trump hinted earlier in the day that he would likely grant TikTok a 90-day reprieve once he takes office on Monday, offering hope for the app’s future in the country.
TikTok, owned by China’s ByteDance, posted a notice to users around 10:45 p.m. ET (0345 GMT), informing them of the service disruption. The message read, “A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the US. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned.”
Other ByteDance-owned apps, including the Capcut video editing tool and the social app Lemon8, were also taken offline and were no longer available for download in US app stores as of Saturday evening.
Trump, speaking to NBC earlier in the day, confirmed that a 90-day extension for TikTok was “most likely” to happen, calling it a reasonable solution. He further suggested that he would announce the extension on Monday after taking office.
TikTok users trying to log in late on Saturday were greeted with a message saying that the law would “force us to make our services temporarily unavailable. We’re working to restore our service in the US as soon as possible.” Many users found they could no longer access the app, and those attempting to use the web application were met with the same notice.
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The platform, which has captivated nearly half of all Americans, is widely used by small businesses and influencers, and has shaped online culture in recent years. TikTok had warned on Friday that unless the Biden administration provided assurances to tech companies like Apple and Google that they wouldn’t face legal action for continuing to host TikTok, the platform would shut down in the US on Sunday.
The law, passed last year and upheld by the Supreme Court on Friday, requires TikTok to either sever its ties with ByteDance or cease operations in the US by Sunday, citing national security concerns over data privacy and potential Chinese government influence.
On Saturday, the White House made it clear that it was up to the incoming administration to address the situation. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre stated, “We see no reason for TikTok or other companies to take actions in the next few days before the Trump administration takes office on Monday.”
While TikTok has not yet commented on the latest statement from the White House, the Chinese Embassy in Washington responded to the US government’s actions, accusing it of using “unfair state power” to suppress TikTok. A spokesperson from the embassy said, “China will take all necessary measures to resolutely safeguard its legitimate rights and interests.”
As the deadline looms, it remains uncertain what the future holds for TikTok in the US, with many eyes now on President Trump’s potential 90-day extension announcement on Monday.