TikTok Goes Dark for US Users, App Stores Remove Platform

“A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S.,” TikTok said in a notification on the platform to users late Saturday. “Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now.”

Apple and Google removed TikTok from their mobile app stores in the US as required by a law that took effect Sunday. TikTok’s legal challenges failed to head off the measure, which was passed last year to address national security concerns.

Trump said Saturday he would “most likely” give TikTok a 90-day reprieve from the law, providing Chinese-owned parent company ByteDance Ltd. more time to find a buyer. Trump also told NBC in an exclusive interview that he’d probably announce it on Monday, after he is sworn in.

“We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office,” TikTok’s notification continued. “Please stay tuned!” The note also directs users to a page to “learn more,” where they can download their TikTok data.

It was TikTok’s choice to suspend availability late Saturday. The controversial law requires tech companies that host or distribute TikTok in the US – such as Apple, Google and Oracle Corp. – to stop doing so on Jan. 19.

Companies found in violation could face enormous penalties determined by “multiplying $5,000 by the number of users,” according to the law. In a country where roughly half the population is on TikTok — the app claims 170 million monthly US users — those fines could add up quickly.

Removing the app from the app stores would not have shut off the service immediately; TikTokers who’d already downloaded it would have been able to continue using it, but would not have been able to install software updates. The app would have deteriorated over time until becoming unusable.

By preemptively taking the platform offline all at once, and earlier than anticipated, TikTok has a chance of mobilizing its enormous user base into protest. It’s possible users will demand action from political leaders like Trump to reverse the ban.

ByteDance also notified US users that it was disabling a slew of other apps it operates in the country, including CapCut, Lemon8 and Lark, a Slack-like productivity app. ByteDance’s gaming subsidiary, Moonton, also disabled its two mobile games.

The law, signed last April by President Joe Biden, required ByteDance to sell its US TikTok business to address national security concerns, or face a shutdown.

TikTok has previously tried to use its popularity to change its fate. The company urged TikTokers to call Congress to protest the bill and try to prevent it from passing when it was first introduced. The strategy backfired at the time, stoking lawmakers’ fears about the app’s influence over US users.

But given Trump’s recent support of the app, it could be more effective this time.

Trump, who tried to ban TikTok during his first presidency over national security concerns, has since warmed up to the social media platform, speculating that it helped him win young voters during the election. Earlier this month, he unsuccessfully made a push for the Supreme Court to delay the law’s divestiture deadline so he could negotiate a solution once in office.

TikTok CEO Shou Chew has also spent time with Trump at Mar-a-Lago and is expected to attend his inauguration on Monday.

Even before TikTok made the app unavailable, loyal creators were organizing online to pressure Trump to follow through on pledges he made on the campaign trail to be TikTok’s savior.

“This is a promise Trump made and it is a promise he used to get a large number of young people to vote for him,” TikTok influencer Tiffany Cianci told Bloomberg ahead of the company’s recent appearance before the Supreme Court. “We are calling on him to deliver immediately.”

By Alexandra S. Levine; With assistance from Virginia Van Natta and Zheping Huang