UPDATED 1/18/25, 10:54 p.m. ET: TikTok has gone offline. The mega-popular app has stopped working across the U.S.
When users tried to open TikTok Saturday night (Jan. 18), they hit a wall with this message: “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!”
It’s not clear when – or if – the app will come back for U.S. users.
See original story below.
Donald Trump, who’s about to take office, says he’ll “most likely” let TikTok stick around for another 90 days before the ban kicks in.
Trump talked to NBC News about possibly stopping Sunday’s ban, which is happening because the Chinese-owned app couldn’t find a non-Chinese buyer.
“I think that would be, certainly, an option that we look at,” Trump said. “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.”
But Trump made it clear he hasn’t made up his mind yet. “If I decide to do that, I’ll probably announce it on Monday,” he added.
On Saturday, Jan. 18, users saw a pop-up in the app talking about the ban. TikTok’s message said “We’re working to restore our service in the U.S. as soon possible.”
The Supreme Court made a unanimous call on Jan. 17, backing claims that ByteDance’s TikTok needs to be sold off or banned over national security worries.
“There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement, and source of community,” the Court wrote in its slip opinion. “But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary. For the foregoing reasons, we conclude that the challenged provisions do not violate petitioners’ First Amendment rights.”
Earlier this week, MrBeast jumped into the mix, saying he’d been chatting with billionaires about possibly buying TikTok. After tweeting about it, he claimed he met with several wealthy investors to work on an offer.
“Just got out of a meeting with a bunch of billionaires. TikTok, we mean business,” he announced. “This is my lawyer right here, we have an offer ready for you. We wanna buy the platform, America deserves TikTok! Give me a seat at the table, let me save this platform, TikTok!”
Back in December, Trump filed legal papers asking for more time so his team could work out a deal about TikTok’s ban.
“President Trump takes no position on the underlying merits of this dispute. Instead, he respectfully requests that the Court consider staying the Act’s deadline for divestment of January 19, 2025, while it considers the merits of this case,” his filing stated.
