TikTok stopped working in the US late Saturday, just before a federal ban on the app came into effect. The app disappeared from Apple’s App Store and Google Play, marking a turning point in the five-year dispute over its Chinese ownership.
The ban also impacted ByteDance’s other platforms, including Lemon8 and the video-editing app CapCut, which became inaccessible.
But some time later, TikTok said in a statement that it is in the “process of restoring service” to US users.
TikTok’s response came after President-elect Donald Trump said on Truth Social that he would try to pause the ban through an executive order after his swearing-in today. Trump wants 50% American ownership in TikTok. He further said that any company that helps the app from going dark wouldn’t face any liability.
However, according to Republican senators Tom Cotton and Pete Ricketts, an extension of any kind will not be possible now that the ban is in effect. “For TikTok to come back online in the future, ByteDance must agree to a sale that satisfies the law’s qualified-divestiture requirements by severing all ties between TikTok and Communist China,” they said in a joint statement.
Several US users could access the Chinese-owned app, but some time later, the app couldn’t be downloaded from app stores.
In April, Congress passed a law requiring ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, to sell the app to a non-Chinese owner or face a complete ban. ByteDance refused, citing legal and technological challenges.
Shifts in user preference
After the Chinese app went dark, many users shifted to Xiaohongshu, a Chinese app, avoiding Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts.