TikTok stops working for US users, disappears from Apple, Google stores
(VOVWORLD) - TikTok stopped working in the United States late on Saturday and disappeared from Apple and Google app stores ahead of a law that takes effect Sunday requiring the shutdown of the app used by 170 million Americans.
 TikToker and "newsfluencer" Joe Andaloro, who goes by the TikTok handle @joy.of.everything, films a TikTok video outside the US headquarters of the social media company TikTok in Culver City, California, US, January 18, 2025. (Photo: REUTERS) |
President-elect Donald Trump said earlier in the day he would "most likely" give TikTok a 90-day reprieve from the ban after he takes office on Monday, a promise TikTok cited in a notice posted to users on the app.
Other apps owned by ByteDance, including video editing app Capcut and lifestyle social app Lemon8, were also offline and unavailable in US app stores as of late Saturday. It was not clear if any US users could still access the app, but it was no longer working for many users and people seeking to access it through a web application were met with the same message that TikTok was no longer working.
Under a law passed last year and upheld on Friday by a unanimous Supreme Court, the platform has until Sunday to cut ties with its China-based parent ByteDance or shut down its US operation to resolve concerns it poses a threat to national security.
The White House reiterated on Saturday that it was up to the incoming administration to take action.