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

Pour one out for TikTok — at least for now.

TikTok’s cellular 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 at the moment are greeted with a message that claims, “Sorry, TikTok is not accessible proper now. A regulation banning TikTok has been enacted within the U.S. Sadly, meaning 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 fantastic for each person that downloads the app. Different ByteDance-owned apps, together with CapCut, are at the moment 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 Individuals from Overseas Adversary Managed Apps Act” by President Biden, TikTok had six months to divest itself from Chinese language-owned guardian firm ByteDance. The app fought the regulation based mostly on the First Modification, bringing it to the Supreme Court docket. Nonetheless, the US’ highest courtroom just lately upheld the ban, making it clear the video-sharing social community would seemingly be shut down within the nation. For months, rumors swirled a few attainable 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 an announcement indicating that the White Home’s place “failed to supply the required readability and assurance to the service suppliers which are integral to sustaining TikTok’s availability to over 170 million Individuals.”

In a current interview with NBC News, Trump — who initially supported TikTok’s ban — acknowledged that he would “most definitely” grant a 90-day extension to ByteDance. Trump is ready to take workplace on January twentieth, so there is a risk TikTok’s US ban might be transient.

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

Since I dwell in Canada, I can nonetheless entry TikTok, although I anticipate my feed will rapidly change into far much less entertaining. My whole For You web page at the moment is full of glib jokes concerning the social media platform’s impending loss of life.