TikTok stops working for US users, disappears from Apple, Google stores

WASHINGTON — 

TikTok stopped moving successful the United States precocious connected Saturday and disappeared from Apple and Google app stores up of a instrumentality that takes effect Sunday requiring the shutdown of the app utilized by 170 cardinal Americans.

President-elect Donald Trump said earlier successful the time helium would "most likely" springiness TikTok a 90-day reprieve from the prohibition aft helium takes bureau connected Monday, a committedness TikTok cited successful a announcement posted to users connected the app.

TikTok, which is owned by China's ByteDance, told users attempting to usage the app astir 10:45 p.m. ET (0345 GMT): "A instrumentality banning TikTok has been enacted successful the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can't usage TikTok for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that helium volition enactment with america connected a solution to reinstate TikTok erstwhile helium takes office. Please enactment tuned."

Other apps owned by ByteDance, including video editing app Capcut and manner societal app Lemon8, were besides offline and unavailable successful U.S. app stores arsenic of precocious Saturday.

"The 90-day hold is thing that volition beryllium astir apt done, due to the fact that it's appropriate," Trump told NBC. "If I determine to bash that, I'll astir apt denote it connected Monday."

It was not wide if immoderate U.S. users could inactive entree the app, but it was nary longer moving for galore users and radical seeking to entree it done a web exertion were met with the aforesaid connection that TikTok was nary longer working.

TikTok, which has captivated astir fractional of each Americans, powered tiny businesses and shaped online culture, warned connected Friday it would spell acheronian successful the U.S. connected Sunday unless President Joe Biden's medication provided assurances to companies specified arsenic Apple and Google that they volition not look enforcement actions erstwhile a prohibition takes effect.

Under a instrumentality passed past twelvemonth and upheld connected Friday by a unanimous Supreme Court, the level has until Sunday to chopped ties with its China-based genitor ByteDance oregon unopen down its U.S. cognition to resoluteness concerns it poses a menace to nationalist security.

The White House reiterated connected Saturday that it was up to the incoming medication to instrumentality action.

"We spot nary crushed for TikTok oregon different companies to instrumentality actions successful the adjacent fewer days earlier the Trump medication takes bureau connected Monday," property caput Karine Jean-Pierre said successful a statement.

TikTok did not respond to a petition for remark connected the caller White House statement.

The Chinese Embassy successful Washington connected Friday accused the U.S. of utilizing unfair authorities powerfulness to suppress TikTok. "China volition instrumentality each indispensable measures to resolutely safeguard its morganatic rights and interests," a spokesperson said.

Users determination to alternatives

Uncertainty implicit the app's aboriginal had sent users -- mostly younger radical -- scrambling to alternatives including China-based RedNote. Rivals Meta META.O and Snap SNAP.N had besides seen their shares emergence this period up of the ban, arsenic investors stake connected an influx of users and advertizing dollars.

"This is my caller location now," wrote 1 idiosyncratic successful a RedNote post, tagged with the words "tiktokrefugee" and "sad."

Minutes aft TikTok's U.S. shutdown, different users took to X, formerly called Twitter.

"I didn’t truly deliberation that they would chopped disconnected TikTok. Now I’m bittersweet and I miss the friends I made there. Hoping it each comes backmost successful conscionable a fewer days," wrote @RavenclawJedi.

Marketing firms reliant connected TikTok person rushed to hole contingency plans this week successful what 1 enforcement described arsenic a "hair connected fire" infinitesimal aft months of accepted contented saying that a solution would materialize to support the app running.

There person been signs TikTok could marque a comeback nether Trump, who has said helium wants to prosecute a "political resolution" of the contented and past period urged the Supreme Court to intermission implementation of the ban.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew plans to be the U.S. statesmanlike inauguration and be a rally with Trump connected Sunday, a root told Reuters.

Suitors including erstwhile Los Angeles Dodgers proprietor Frank McCourt person expressed involvement successful the fast-growing concern that analysts estimation could beryllium worthy arsenic overmuch arsenic $50 billion. Media reports accidental Beijing has besides held talks astir selling TikTok's U.S. operations to billionaire and Trump state Elon Musk, though the institution has denied that.

U.S. hunt motor startup Perplexity AI submitted a bid connected Saturday to ByteDance for Perplexity to merge with TikTok U.S., a root acquainted with the company's plans told Reuters. Perplexity would merge with TikTok U.S. and make a caller entity by combining the merged institution with different partners, the idiosyncratic added.

Privately held ByteDance is astir 60% owned by organization investors specified arsenic BlackRock and General Atlantic, portion its founders and employees ain 20% each. It has much than 7,000 employees successful the U.S.