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TikTok ban: all the news on the app’s shutdown and return in the US

Jan 20, 2025

TikTok is mostly back online after briefly going dark in the US to comply with the divest-or-ban law that went into effect on January 19th.

On January 20th, Donald Trump issued an executive order “instructing the Attorney General not to take any action to enforce the Act for a period of 75 days from today.” However, Google and Apple have not yet restored TikTok or the other ByteDance apps that were removed back to the App Store or Google Play.

A message from TikTok on Sunday said it’s “…in the process of restoring service” while thanking President-elect Donald Trump “for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties” for bringing back the app.

Highlights

  • A screenshot from Marvel Snap.

    A screenshot from Marvel Snap.

    Marvel Snap is back online in the US after access was cut off Saturday night due to the law that banned TikTok and other ByteDance-owned apps. The game’s current publisher, Nuverse, is owned by ByteDance.

    In a post published Monday evening, the game’s developer, Second Dinner, says that it plans to bring “more services in-house” and “partner with a new publisher” to prevent a similar situation from happening again. The same message is also showing up when you play the game, as shown in a screenshot posted on Reddit.

    Read Article >

  • All those kissy-faces at Trump didn’t get TikTok anything.

    TikTok went hard on Dear Leader flattery with it’s we’re-banned-we’re-back messaging, but it didn’t even get the full 90 day extension Trump promised — it’s only 75. And Trump loves nothing more than leverage, as he made clear while signing the EO. This thing is getting sold, one way or another.

  • Photo collage of the TikTok logo over a photograph of the US Capitol building.

    Photo collage of the TikTok logo over a photograph of the US Capitol building.

    President Donald Trump has issued an executive order telling the Department of Justice to not enforce a rule that demands TikTok spin off from its Chinese parent company ByteDance or face a ban.

    The order, issued on Trump’s first day of office, is meant to effectively extend the deadline established by The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act for ByteDance to sell its stake by undercutting penalties on American companies like Apple and Google working with TikTok. It directs the Attorney General “not to take any action to enforce the Act for a period of 75 days from today to allow my Administration an opportunity to determine the appropriate course forward in an orderly way.” The AG is supposed to “issue a letter to each provider stating that there has been no violation of the statute and that there is no liability for any conduct that occurred.”

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  • TikTok’s CEO sat next to Trump’s national intelligence director pick at the inauguration.

    It’s an odd seating arrangement considering that Shou Zi Chew is counting on Trump to help TikTok get out of its US ban that’s based on national security concerns. If confirmed, Tulsi Gabbard would be the one advising the president on such threats. Oh, to be a fly on the wall.

    US-POLITICS-TRUMP-INAUGURATION

    US-POLITICS-TRUMP-INAUGURATION

  • Photo collage of an image of Donald Trump behind a graphic, glitchy design.

    Photo collage of an image of Donald Trump behind a graphic, glitchy design.

    At a victory rally the day before being sworn into the presidency, Donald Trump extolled his plan to “save TikTok” from the law that banned it through a joint venture with the US.

    On its face, the plan does not appear to comply with the law’s requirements for a qualified divestiture that TikTok’s service providers like Apple, Google, and Oracle could rely on to avoid hundreds of billions in potential fines. Even so, at least some of TikTok’s service providers seem to be relying on Trump’s flimsy promises, allowing TikTok to restore service to the app mid-day Sunday, on the first day of its ban.

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  • The TikTok lock-out effect.

    You can catch the national mood from time to time using the iOS App Store’s top free apps list.

    After today’s TikTok chaos, the top 20 apps there are taken up mostly by VPNs and video editing or social media posting apps, with a little ChatGPT and Temu sprinkled in for good measure.

  • An image showing Marvel Snap

    An image showing Marvel Snap

    TikTok has returned — at least partially — in the US following a nationwide ban, but other popular ByteDance-owned apps, such as the digital card game Marvel Snap, video editing app CapCut, and the social platform Lemon8, are still blocked. None of these apps, including TikTok, are currently available to download on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store, either.

    Though many users expected CapCut and Lemon8 to be affected by the law banning TikTok, Marvel Snap’s ban took some by surprise — including its own developer. On Sunday morning, the game studio Second Dinner said in a post on X, “This outage is a surprise to us and wasn’t planned. MARVEL SNAP isn’t going anywhere.” Marvel Snap is published by Nuverse, a game developer owned by ByteDance.

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  • Photo illustration of Tik Tok app icon being deleted.

    Photo illustration of Tik Tok app icon being deleted.

    No matter what TikTok says in its laudatory pop-up messages, President-elect Donald Trump cannot simply declare an extension of the TikTok ban deadline and protect American companies that support it from billions of dollars in fines.

    Trump seems to want TikTok available for his inauguration on Monday, because “Americans deserve” to see the event. But TikTok is officially banned starting today until it sells to a non-Chinese company, and there’s no deal in sight. Flouting that ban could get Apple and Google’s app stores, as well as service providers Akamai and Oracle, dinged for potentially $850 billion in penalties. Despite all this, Trump has reportedly assured companies they won’t face these fines if they let TikTok keep operating. Now, the question is simple: will Trump-friendly companies risk breaking the law to make the president happy?

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  • Instagram’s logo for Edits

    Instagram’s logo for Edits

    Instagram head Adam Mosseri just announced a video editing app called Edits. Mosseri said the app is meant to rival CapCut, a video editing app that went offline along with TikTok. Edits is available for preorder on the iOS App Store.

    “There’s a lot going on right now, but no matter what happens, it’s our job to provide the best possible tools for creators,” Mosseri said in a video posted to Instagram. He goes on to describe the app:

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  • Photo illustration of Tik Tok logo disappearing.

    Photo illustration of Tik Tok logo disappearing.

    TikTok announced on Sunday that it’s “in the process of restoring service,” but the app is still unavailable in the App Store and Google Play. As of Monday evening, the app is still unavailable, and it is unclear whether that will change due to Donald Trump’s newly issued executive order telling the Department of Justice not to enforce the ban’s penalties.

    If you search for TikTok on the App Store, you’ll see a message saying, “TikTok and other ByteDance apps are not available in the country or region you’re in,” while Google Play says, “Downloads for this app are paused due to current US legal requirements.”

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  • Sen. Tom Cotton warns TikTok’s service providers of “ruinous liability” for hosting the app.

    The Arkansas Republican and Intelligence Committee chair is putting companies like Apple, Google, and Oracle on notice that they could face not only Justice Department lawsuits, but action from shareholders and state enforcers for servicing TikTok. The warning flies in the face of President-elect Donald Trump’s apparent desire to have TikTok operating on Inauguration Day.

  • TikTok makes more kissy-faces at Trump.

    The app is partially back online in the US with a message explicitly thanking President Trump. The chances that all this desperate messaging backfires and he still forces a sale are steadily rising — that’s what Trump is saying, and the rest of the GOP is insistent that the law be enforced.

    A message attributing TikTok’s return to President Trump.

    A message attributing TikTok’s return to President Trump.

    a:hover]:text-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray”>The Verge
  • One possible reason mobile app stores took TikTok down.

    Republican Senators Tom Cotton and Pete Rickets “called some of the major tech companies in recent days to say they needed to comply with” today’s federal TikTok ban, reports The New York Times.

    The article followed a joint statement from the two praising Amazon, Apple, Google, and Microsoft for “halting operations with ByteDance and TikTok.” Since then, the app has started coming back online — but is still unavailable in app stores.

  • Hand holding phone with a TikTok logo against various small illustrations.

    Hand holding phone with a TikTok logo against various small illustrations.

    First, TikTok was banned. Then, on Saturday evening, January 18th, it disappeared. Then, the next day, it reappeared. It may be back for good, but any time things get this uncertain, it’s always a good idea to make sure you have backups of all your content — just in case.

    While the app offers instructions on how to download single videos, TikTok apparently doesn’t like the idea of allowing its creators to bulk download their videos. You can also download — in TXT or JSON format — a certain amount of your data, which, according to the support page, “may include but is not limited to your username, watch video history, comment history, and privacy settings.” When I tried it, it did not include my videos. 

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  • TikTok’s president warns advertisers to expect ‘temporary service instability.’

    The memo to advertisers I’ve seen notes that the app is coming online for “the majority of U.S. users” but not all of them:

    I am pleased to let you know that as of today, TikTok will become available for the majority of U.S. users. Over the course of Sunday, ad campaigns that include U.S. audiences will resume operating and delivering ads to U.S.-based users, although live campaigns will have certain limitations. Although we’ve reinforced our infrastructure to minimize disruptions, we anticipate some temporary service instability that may affect advertising in the U.S. Thank you for sticking with us. We know how vital TikTok is to your brand and your audiences, and we’re working hard to restore normal operations as quickly as possible.

  • TikTok hasn’t returned to the App Store or Google Play just yet.

    The platform says it’s “in the process of restoring service” but Apple and Google make it clear that it’s not available due to the divest-or-ban law.

    Search for TikTok on Google Play, and you’ll see a message saying, “Downloads for this app are paused due to current US legal requirements,” while the App Store notes “TikTok and other ByteDance apps are not available in the country or region you’re in.”

    The App Store links users to a support page explaining why Apple is complying with the law.

    The App Store links users to a support page explaining why Apple is complying with the law.

  • Photo illustration of Tik Tok app icon being deleted.

    Photo illustration of Tik Tok app icon being deleted.

    TikTok is bringing its service back online in the US, after shutting down for about half a day. The company said this afternoon that it is “in the process of restoring service” and thanked President-elect Trump for “providing the necessary clarity” to do so.

    US users were shut out of TikTok last night ahead of the federal ban coming into effect, with the app displaying a message that its services were “temporarily unavailable.” Service started to be restored on Sunday around 12PM ET in TikTok’s mobile app and on the web.

    Read Article >

  • Did TikTok forget to lock Vision Pro owners out of the app?

    TikTok’s native visionOS app still works, at least for me, after the company cut off access for millions of US users of its smartphone app.

    A TikTok window floating in front of two computer monitors.

    A TikTok window floating in front of two computer monitors.

    a:hover]:text-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray”>Screenshot: TikTok for visionOS
  • TikTok is loading on the web.

    Despite the app continuing to be locked down, TikTok’s website seems to be working for US users, including those of us at The Verge, though at least in my case, it features a banner saying it’s unavailable.

    Meanwhile, the app version now features a message saying it’s “temporarily unavailable,” and no longer mentions Trump.

    Screenshot of TikTok on the web.

    Screenshot of TikTok on the web.

  • TikTok’s new error message doesn’t mention Trump.

    As of 11:45AM ET, the app shows a new — less groveling — pop up when you try to open it: “We’re working hard to resolve this issue. Thank you for your patience.”

    Compare that to the message the company pushed to users last night as the app went dark: “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!”

    A TikTok error message in the app reading, “TikTok is temporarily unavailable. We’re working hard to resolve this issue. Thank you for your patience.”

    A TikTok error message in the app reading, “TikTok is temporarily unavailable. We’re working hard to resolve this issue. Thank you for your patience.”

    Photo illustration of Tik Tok logo in a ban symbol.

    Photo illustration of Tik Tok logo in a ban symbol.

    TikTok’s US shutdown last night appears to be affecting users outside the country as well. People have taken to social media in the hours since, complaining they can’t access the app despite living in non-US countries, and it’s not always clear why.

    In some cases, the problem appears to be using a VPN that routes traffic through the US. One user on Reddit, who says they’re based in the UK, saw the message that’s supposed to be displayed only in the US overnight and found that a quick location change in their VPN app fixed it:

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  • Photo collage of the TikTok logo over a photograph of the US Capitol building.

    Photo collage of the TikTok logo over a photograph of the US Capitol building.

    President-elect Donald Trump says he wants service providers like Apple and Google to put TikTok back online in the US, and he proposed creating a joint venture where the US owns 50 percent of the app.

    “I’m asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark!” Trump wrote on Truth Social Sunday. “I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security. The order will also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order.”

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  • Illustration of the App Store logo in front of a background of gavels.

    Illustration of the App Store logo in front of a background of gavels.

    With TikTok, CapCut, and Marvel Snap shut down in the US, Apple has taken the unusual step of articulating why it’s following the law banning ByteDance apps and removing them from the App Stores for the Mac, iPhone, and other devices.

    Before the ban went into effect, the Biden administration released a statement saying enforcement of the law “must fall to the next Administration.” Still, it didn’t stop the law from taking effect this weekend after TikTok’s appeal to the Supreme Court failed.

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  • Sorry, MARVEL SNAP isn’t available right nowA law banning MARVEL SNAP has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use MARVEL SNAP for now. Rest assured, we’re working to restore our service in the U.S. Please stay tuned!

    Sorry, MARVEL SNAP isn’t available right nowA law banning MARVEL SNAP has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use MARVEL SNAP for now. Rest assured, we’re working to restore our service in the U.S. Please stay tuned!

    a:hover]:text-gray-63 [&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-black dark:[&>a:hover]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a:hover]:shadow-underline-gray [&>a]:shadow-underline-gray-63 dark:[&>a]:text-gray-bd dark:[&>a]:shadow-underline-gray”>Screenshot: Marvel Snap

    The divest-or-ban law aimed at TikTok is also taking down other ByteDance-linked apps, including the popular card game Marvel Snap. The app suddenly cut off access Saturday night, seemingly without warning, surprising gamers who weren’t aware of its connection to ByteDance.

    The card game battler set in the Marvel universe is developed by Second Dinner, which is based in California. But the game is published by Nuverse, a company owned by ByteDance. As a result, it’s subject to the same shutdown order.

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