TikTok went dark in the United States on Saturday night due to a federal law banning the short-form video app popular with millions of Americans. However, the company began restoring service by noon Sunday.
TikTok users began receiving messages regarding the ban starting around 10:30 pm ET on Saturday evening, and the app also disappeared from the Apple and Google Play app stores. As of Sunday morning, some users in the United States could still access TikTok via the web.
“We're sorry, but TikTok is currently unavailable,” the company's message reads. “A law has been enacted to ban TikTok in the United States. Unfortunately, you will not be able to use TikTok at this time.”
The message also suggested that this may be only a temporary disappearance. TikTok praised President-elect Donald Trump's statement that he would “work with us on a solution to bring TikTok back after he takes office,” and urged users to “stay tuned!”
The company warned earlier this week that the app's demise was imminent, and said Friday that the app would “go into darkness” unless President Joe Biden's administration makes a “definitive statement” that it would not enforce the ban. .
Bipartisan majorities in the House and Senate last April called on TikTok owner ByteDance to sell the app or have it banned in the U.S. over concerns about potential Chinese surveillance and propaganda. The bill passed, and Mr. Biden quickly signed it into law. Additionally, efforts to force ByteDance to sell date back to the first Trump administration, but Trump has taken a different stance recently. President Trump asked the Supreme Court to extend the ban, saying he “likely” would grant the company a 90-day extension.
The Supreme Court ruled Friday upholding the law. And the Biden administration appears inclined to leave the fate of the app in the hands of the next president. White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the law would go into effect shortly before Trump's inauguration on Monday, so “action to implement the law should be left to the incoming administration.” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco issued a similar statement, saying, “The next phase of this effort, enforcing the law and ensuring compliance after it goes into effect on January 19, will be a slow process. Probably.''
However, TikTok suggested that unless the Biden administration makes the aforementioned “definitive statement,” that is not enough to ensure that “critical service providers” continue to list and host the app in the United States. did. Jean-Pierre called TikTok's response a “stunt” and argued that “there is no reason for TikTok or any other company to take action in the days leading up to the Trump administration's inauguration on Monday.”
As for the app's long-term prospects, Trump said he intended to “negotiate a resolution” that would likely involve a sale or other concessions from ByteDance, but ByteDance is not interested in a sale. However, he seems optimistic about the outlook under the Trump administration.
President Trump reiterated to NBC News on Saturday that he is “likely” to grant TikTok a 90-day reprieve from its ban after he takes office on Monday.
“I think that would certainly be an option that we would consider. A 90-day extension is appropriate, so it's probably going to happen. Yeah, that's appropriate. We'll have to look at it very closely. It's a huge situation,” President Trump told the media.
He posted on Sunday morning that he would issue an executive order on Monday to delay the ban, and also for “a joint venture between the current owners and/or new owners in which the United States would acquire a 50% ownership interest.” expressed interest.
From billionaire Frank McCourt doing a “people's bid” to perplexity AI proposing a merger, a number of potential buyers are taking aim at TikTok's 170 million users and throwing them into the ring. .
There have even been reports suggesting that the Chinese government is considering a sale to Elon Musk as part of a broader deal with the Trump administration. A TikTok spokesperson called the report “pure fiction.”
Meanwhile, Chinese-owned alternatives like RedNote and Lemon8 are gaining traction as TikTok users search for alternatives. However, Lemon8, also owned by ByteDance, is also one of the currently blocked apps.
This post has been updated to reflect that TikTok is restoring service. This was previously updated to reflect President Trump's remarks Sunday morning and additional apps blocked by law.