Well, it happened – TikTok goes offline in the US hours before ban

Pour one out for TikTok — at least for now.

TikTok’s mobile app has stopped working and has been removed from Apple’s App Store and Google Play as of Saturday, January 18th, just a few hours ahead of its January 19th ban.

Users are now greeted with a message that says, “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. “

The app allows users to close it or “learn more,” which directs to TikTok’s website. TikTok has also been removed from Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store in the US. Any app marketplace that still lists TikTok is subject to a $5,000 fine for every user that downloads the app. Other ByteDance-owned apps, including CapCut, are currently displaying similar messages.

It’s unclear how long TikTok will be unavailable

It’s up to the Trump Administration now

Following the passing of the “Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Apps Act” by President Biden, TikTok had six months to divest itself from Chinese-owned parent company ByteDance. The app fought the law based on the First Amendment, bringing it to the Supreme Court. However, the US’ highest court recently upheld the ban, making it clear the video-sharing social network would likely be shut down in the country. For months, rumors swirled about a possible sale to a US-based company, but a deal didn’t materialize.

Earlier this week, White House officials stated that TikTok’s ban would not be enforced and that the task would be left up to President-elect Donald Trump’s administration. However, TikTok released a statement indicating that the White House’s position “failed to provide the necessary clarity and assurance to the service providers that are integral to maintaining TikTok’s availability to over 170 million Americans.”

In a recent interview with NBC News, Trump — who initially supported TikTok’s ban — stated that he would “most likely” grant a 90-day extension to ByteDance. Trump is set to take office on January 20th, so there’s a possibility TikTok’s US ban could be brief.

However, it’s still unclear if ByteDance is willing to divest from TikTok and sell its US-based operations. According to CNN, Canadian Kevin O’Leary (best known for being on Shark Tank) proposed buying the service alongside several other investors. Perplexity AI has reportedly also offered to buy TikTok’s stateside operations, according to CNBC. With TikTok’s ban looming, earlier this week, US users flooded Chinese app RedNote, a similar short-form video social network.

Since I live in Canada, I can still access TikTok, though I expect my feed will quickly become far less entertaining. My entire For You page currently is filled with glib jokes about the social media platform’s impending death.