Effectively, it occurred – TikTok goes offline within the US hours earlier than ban

Pour one out for TikTok — at least for now.

TikTok’s cell app has stopped working and has been faraway from Apple’s App Retailer and Google Play as of Saturday, January 18th, only a few hours ahead of its January 19th ban.

Customers are actually greeted with a message that claims, “Sorry, TikTok is not obtainable proper now. A legislation banning TikTok has been enacted within the U.S. Sadly, which means you possibly can’t use TikTok for now. We’re lucky that President Trump has indicated that he’ll work with us on an answer to reinstate TikTok as soon as he takes workplace. “

The app permits customers to shut it or “be taught extra,” which directs to TikTok’s website. TikTok has additionally been faraway from Apple’s App Retailer and Google’s Play Retailer within the US. Any app market that also lists TikTok is topic to a $5,000 high quality for each consumer that downloads the app. Different ByteDance-owned apps, together with CapCut, are presently displaying comparable messages.

It is unclear how lengthy TikTok will probably be unavailable

It is as much as the Trump Administration now

Following the passing of the “Defending People from Overseas Adversary Managed Apps Act” by President Biden, TikTok had six months to divest itself from Chinese language-owned mother or father firm ByteDance. The app fought the legislation primarily based on the First Modification, bringing it to the Supreme Courtroom. Nonetheless, the US’ highest courtroom not too long ago upheld the ban, making it clear the video-sharing social community would doubtless be shut down within the nation. For months, rumors swirled a few potential sale to a US-based firm, however a deal did not materialize.

Earlier this week, White Home officers acknowledged that TikTok’s ban wouldn’t be enforced and that the duty can be left as much as President-elect Donald Trump’s administration. Nonetheless, TikTok launched a press release indicating that the White Home’s place “failed to offer the mandatory readability and assurance to the service suppliers which can be integral to sustaining TikTok’s availability to over 170 million People.”

In a latest interview with NBC News, Trump — who initially supported TikTok’s ban — acknowledged that he would “almost certainly” grant a 90-day extension to ByteDance. Trump is about to take workplace on January twentieth, so there is a chance TikTok’s US ban may very well be temporary.

Nonetheless, it is nonetheless unclear if ByteDance is keen to divest from TikTok and promote its US-based operations. In line with CNN, Canadian Kevin O’Leary (greatest recognized for being on Shark Tank) proposed shopping for the service alongside a number of different buyers. Perplexity AI has reportedly additionally supplied to purchase TikTok’s stateside operations, based on CNBC. With TikTok’s ban looming, earlier this week, US customers flooded Chinese language app RedNote, an analogous short-form video social community.

Since I dwell in Canada, I can nonetheless entry TikTok, although I count on my feed will rapidly change into far much less entertaining. My total For You web page presently is stuffed with glib jokes concerning the social media platform’s impending loss of life.