TikTok stops working for over 170m users in US as Apple, Google remove app from stores amid ban
TikTok stopped working in the United States late on Saturday and disappeared from Apple and Google app stores ahead of a law that takes effect on Sunday requiring the shutdown of the app used by 170 million Americans.
The app’s delisting comes after the Supreme Court on Friday unanimously upheld the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, which President Joe Biden signed in April.
TikTok on Friday said its service would go dark, meaning it would stop working for Americans, unless the Biden administration intervened.
On Apple’s App Store, users attempting to access TikTok’s page are greeted with the message: “This app is currently not available in your country or region.”
Similarly, the Google Play Store displays: “We’re sorry, the requested URL was not found on this server.”
TikTok also informed users of the app’s impending shutdown in a notice on its platform
“Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now.
“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!”
Lemon8, another ByteDance-owned app that had recently gained popularity, also issued a similar notice “Sorry, Lemon8 isn’t available right now.”
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What you should know?
On April 24, 2024, President Joe Biden signed a bipartisan bill requiring ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, to divest its controlling stake in the app within six months or face a ban in the United States.
The legislation aimed to address national security concerns over TikTok’s data collection practices and its alleged ties to the Chinese government.
In May 2024, TikTok challenged the bill in court, calling it an “extraordinary intrusion on free speech rights.” The lawsuit sought to block the law, arguing that it violated the First Amendment protections for TikTok’s millions of US users.
By August 2024, the US government filed a separate lawsuit against TikTok, accusing the platform of unlawfully collecting children’s data and failing to address parental requests to delete their children’s accounts. This added to the mounting scrutiny of TikTok’s operations in the country.
In December 2024, a federal appeals court rejected TikTok’s legal bid to overturn the law, further solidifying the legislation’s path toward enforcement.
Lawyers representing TikTok and its content creators then took their case to the Supreme Court, arguing that the law violated free speech protections for the platform’s 170 million US users.
They highlighted TikTok’s role as a vital outlet for expression, creativity, and community engagement.
However, the Supreme Court unanimously upheld the law, citing national security concerns as a compelling justification for its enforcement.
The justices ruled that ByteDance must divest its US operations by January 19, 2025, or face an effective ban.
While acknowledging TikTok’s value to its users, the court affirmed Congress’s authority to act in the interest of national security.
Why did Google, Apple other removed TikTok
The law requires that service providers no longer support TikTok within the U.S. if ByteDance failed to carry out a “qualified divestiture” of the app by Sunday. As a result, Apple, Google and Oracle could face tough penalties for failing to adhere to the law.
Apple and Google previously distributed the app through its app stores while Oracle provides cloud computing services to TikTok and said in June that the law would hurt its business.
TikTok pins hope on Trump
After the Supreme Court’s decision, TikTok CEO Shou Chew said use of TikTok is a First Amendment right and added that over 7 million American businesses use it to make money and find customers.
“Rest assured, we will do everything in our power to ensure our platform thrives as your online home for limitless creativity and discovery as well as a source of inspiration and joy for years to come,” Chew said in a TikTok video.
Chew also thanked President-elect Donald Trump, who previously asked the Supreme Court to pause the law’s implementation and allow his administration “the opportunity to pursue a political resolution of the questions at issue in the case.” Chew is expected to attend Trump’s inauguration in Washington on Monday, along with tech leaders from companies including Meta, Amazon, Apple and Google.
What has Trump said?
Trump on Friday said that the Supreme Court’s decision was expected “and everyone must respect it.”
“My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation. Stay tuned!” Trump wrote in a post on his social media app Truth Social.
Also, speaking to NBC News on Saturday, Trump said he would “most likely” give TikTok a 90-day extension of the Sunday deadline, and that he would “probably announce” a decision on Monday.
“I think that would be, certainly, an option that we look at,” Trump said in the phone interview. “The 90-day extension is something that will be most likely done, because it’s appropriate. You know, it’s appropriate. We have to look at it carefully. It’s a very big situation.”
