As of January 18, 2025, TikTok, along with other ByteDance-owned applications such as CapCut and Lemon8, have ceased operations in the United States. This action follows the enforcement of a federal law requiring ByteDance to divest its ownership of these apps or face a ban. Consequently, these applications have been removed from Apple and Google app stores in the U.S., and users attempting to access them are met with notifications about their unavailability.
The U.S. Supreme Court upheld this legislation, citing concerns over potential national security risks associated with data access and influence by the Chinese government. In response, service providers, including Apple, Google, and Oracle, have discontinued support for these applications to comply with the law.
TikTok has informed its U.S. user base of approximately 170 million individuals about the shutdown through in-app messages, expressing optimism for a resolution once President-elect Donald Trump assumes office on January 20th. President-elect Trump has indicated the possibility of granting a 90-day extension to reassess the situation after his inauguration.
The duration of this ban remains uncertain, and the future availability of these applications in the U.S. will depend on forthcoming decisions by the new administration and potential negotiations with ByteDance.