TikTok is the social media sensation that all of Silicon Valley — and a lot of Washington, DC — has their eyes on. The app, created by ByteDance, became famous for rocketing musicians and dancers to stardom. But as its popularity and influence have grown, so has scrutiny of its privacy policies, security, and influence, with legislators voicing concern about its ownership by a Chinese firm. Meanwhile, social media competitors are doing everything they can to knock off TikTok’s features and usurp its short-form video dominance.
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.”
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.
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.
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!”
Here’s our recap to catch you up on TikTok’s shutdown and how we got here with the ban that no one seemed to want to implement.
And yes, we included some funny (and sad) recent videos here.
The app is set to be shut off in the US at midnight on Saturday after losing its appeal to the Supreme Court. TikTok president Blake Chandlee just sent this to advertisers:
This is a rapidly evolving situation, and we’re working quickly with our legal and policy teams to assess the situation and provide clear, accurate updates for our valued partners. We’re optimistic about finding the best path forward.
Rest assured, we’ll be in touch with more details and next steps ahead of the Sunday, January 19 deadline.
He then links to CEO Shou Chew’s reaction video, which makes clear the company is banking on Trump saving it from a ban.
We don’t know exactly what they discussed, but the US President-elect says it was a “very good” call. Until we hear otherwise from the Supreme Court or President Joe Biden, the TikTok ban is set to take effect on January 19th — one day before Trump’s inauguration. “It is my expectation that we will solve many problems together, and starting immediately,” says Trump.
[Truth Social]
The Supreme Court’s site has added text saying it “may announce opinions” at 10AM ET tomorrow. I’m going to be furious if we don’t find out the fate of TikTok two days before the scheduled ban. I will also grudgingly respect the top-tier troll effort.
In addition to Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and Tim Cook reportedly attending Trump’s inauguration on Monday, it now seems that Google’s Sundar Pichai will be attending as well.
Importantly, TikTok CEO Shou Chew is also expected to sit in a position of honor on the dais alongside former presidents and family members. Trump has vowed to save the app facing a US ban.
[The New York Times]
It would suspend enforcement of the law for 60 to 90 days, extending the timeline for a sale, The Washington Post reports. Trump’s AG pick Pam Bondi also wouldn’t commit to enforcing the TikTok law. But either of those routes wouldn’t eliminate the risk of Apple and Google hosting the app on their app stores after January 19th.
[The Washington Post]
“Under one scenario that’s been discussed by the Chinese government, Musk’s X — the former Twitter — would take control of TikTok US and run the businesses together, the people said,” Bloomberg reports.
TikTok spokesperson Michael Hughes tells The Verge that “we can’t be expected to comment on pure fiction.”
Kevin O’Leary recently joined Frank McCourt’s bid to buy TikTok. Now, with TikTok facing a ban in one week, the Shark Tank host is playing golf with the President-elect. Hmm.
