TikTok restores its service in the United States after hours of outage… but remains unavailable in app stores

TikTok has resumed its operations in the United States following a promise by Donald Trump, who will be inaugurated as President on Monday, January 20th, that he will issue an executive order on that day to delay the implementation of the law banning TikTok by 90 days. Trump has assured service providers they will not face penalties for reinstating the social network.

However, this does not mean that TikTok is back on U.S. app stores. Apple and Google have decided to comply with the legal mandate until they receive a firm directive from the White House.

Regarding Apple, the company has issued a statement explaining the situation and listing all the apps, including TikTok, that have been removed from its app store. This list includes other apps like Lemon8 and Capcut, which are also owned by Bytedance, TikTok’s parent company.

“I urge companies not to let TikTok stop functioning. I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the time before the law banning it takes effect, so we can reach an agreement to protect our national security,” Trump stated on his social network, Truth Social.

TikTok faced temporary block in the U.S.

On the afternoon of Saturday, January 18th, before the law banning TikTok in the United States came into effect, 170 million U.S. users of the Chinese social network received a message saying, “The platform is no longer available” due to a law blocking its use in the country. The message also mentioned that “it is fortunate” President-elect Donald Trump, who will take office the next day, indicated he would work to restore TikTok.

“We apologize, TikTok is temporarily unavailable. A law has been established blocking TikTok in the United States. Unfortunately, this means you cannot use TikTok for now. It is fortunate that President Trump has indicated he will work with us to restore TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!” read the full message from the social network.

Hours before the ban, following the Supreme Court’s confirmation of a ruling requiring the closure of TikTok in the United States, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew appeared in a video on the platform – also shared as a reel on TikTok’s official Instagram account. He aimed to reassure users by explaining that the company is working with Donald Trump to find a solution:

“On behalf of everyone at TikTok and all our users in the country, I want to thank President Trump for committing to work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States. This stance supports the First Amendment and opposes arbitrary censorship. We are grateful and delighted to have the support of a President who truly understands our platform, someone who has used TikTok to express his thoughts and perspectives, connecting with the world, and generating over 60 billion views of his content. There will be more…” Chew said in his message.

 

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Now, the uncertainty

Last Friday, the Supreme Court ratified the law signed by Joe Biden, prohibiting the use of TikTok in the United States for being considered a threat to national security. The law claims that the Chinese government conducts espionage and propaganda among platform users, something TikTok calls absurd. Although the company attempted to appeal the decision, the law was confirmed by the highest legal authority in the country, forcing ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, to shut down the social network.

Even though the deadline was today, January 19th, 2025, there is a possibility that Donald Trump, who will assume his second presidency tomorrow, might be able to nullify the law, or at least give the platform more time to divest and initiate a sale process to a third party, which was the alternative option the promulgated law considered.

Perplexity AI and Frank McCourt join as potential buyers of TikTok

In addition to potential purchases by Elon Musk, Mr. Beast, and Kick—a direct competitor of Twitch—other options have emerged:

Businessman Frank McCourt, known for his career in the real estate and sports sectors, has expressed interest in acquiring TikTok’s operations in the United States. Through his nonprofit organization, Project Liberty, McCourt has formed a consortium that includes Guggenheim Securities and Kirkland & Ellis to submit a formal bid valued at approximately $20 billion, excluding the platform’s algorithm.

McCourt proposes a significant revision of TikTok’s business model, focusing on a decentralized infrastructure that gives users more control over their data and relationships on the platform.

Meanwhile, the startup Perplexity AI, specializing in AI-powered search engines, has presented a proposal to merge with the social network. This initiative suggests that the platform’s value could exceed $50 billion. The merger would involve creating a new combined entity with New Capital Partners, allowing ByteDance’s current investors to maintain their stakes.

This news continues to develop.

Photo: Depositphotos