Summary
- TikTok voluntarily made its app unavailable ahead of its January 19th ban.
- The app was removed from Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store.
- TikTok returned shortly after being unavailable following President-elect Donald Trump revealing plans to delay its ban.
UPDATE: 2025/01/19 17:11 EST BY PATRICK O’ROURKE
Roughly 12 hours after shutting down in the US, TikTok is back, stating that its return is due to President-elect Donald Trump’s efforts to save the app.
Logging into TikTok now displays the following message:
“Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!”
Early Sunday, January 19th, President-elect Donald Trump revealed plans to sign an executive order after his inauguration on Monday, January 20th, delaying the enforcement of TikTok’s ban.
“In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service. We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive. We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States,” said TikTok in a statement.
TikTok’s CEO Shou Chew is expected to attend Trump’s “Make American Great Again Victory Rally” in Washington, DC, according to
CNN
.
The original story is below:
Pour one out for TikTok — at least for now.
TikTok’s mobile app has stopped working and has been removed from Apple’s App Store and Google Play as of Saturday, January 18th, just a few hours ahead of its January 19th ban.
Users are now greeted with a message that says, “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. 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. “
The app allows users to close it or “learn more,” which directs to TikTok’s website. TikTok has also been removed from Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store in the US. Any app marketplace that still lists TikTok is subject to a $5,000 fine for every user that downloads the app. Other ByteDance-owned apps, including CapCut, are currently displaying similar messages.
It’s unclear how long TikTok will be unavailable
It’s up to the Trump Administration now
Pocket-lint / TikTok
Following the passing of the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Apps Act” by President Biden, TikTok had six months to divest itself from Chinese-owned parent company ByteDance. The app fought the law based on the First Amendment, bringing it to the Supreme Court. However, the US’ highest court recently upheld the ban, making it clear the video-sharing social network would likely be shut down in the country. For months, rumors swirled about a possible sale to a US-based company, but a deal didn’t materialize.
Earlier this week, White House officials stated that TikTok’s ban would not be enforced and that the task would be left up to President-elect Donald Trump’s administration. However, TikTok released a statement indicating that the White House’s position “failed to provide the necessary clarity and assurance to the service providers that are integral to maintaining TikTok’s availability to over 170 million Americans.”
With TikTok’s ban looming, US users flooded the Chinese app RedNote, a similar short-form video-sharing social network earlier this week.
In a recent interview with NBC News, Trump — who initially supported TikTok’s ban — stated that he would “most likely” grant a 90-day extension to ByteDance. Trump is set to take office on January 20th, so there’s a possibility TikTok’s US ban could be brief.
However, it’s still unclear if ByteDance is willing to divest from TikTok and sell its US-based operations. According to CNN, Canadian Kevin O’Leary (best known for being on Shark Tank) proposed buying the service alongside several other investors. Perplexity AI has reportedly also offered to buy TikTok’s stateside operations, according to CNBC. With TikTok’s ban looming, earlier this week, US users flooded Chinese app RedNote, a similar short-form video social network.
Since I live in Canada, I can still access TikTok, though I expect my feed will quickly become far less entertaining. My entire For You page currently is filled with glib jokes about the social media platform’s impending death.
