TikTok is officially shutting down its services in the United States as a federal ban on the app takes effect on January 19th.
Around 6 PM Pacific Time, U.S. users—including several Verge staff members—began receiving a notification on the app stating that the ban would render TikTok “temporarily unavailable.” The message further assures users, “We’re working to restore our service in the U.S. as quickly as possible,” signaling that resolving the issue will require intervention from the incoming Trump administration. Similar messages are appearing in CapCut, the video editing app also owned by TikTok’s parent company.
Internally, TikTok employees received an email, obtained by The Verge, describing the situation as “disappointing.” The email highlights that former President Trump has expressed willingness to collaborate on a resolution to reinstate the app once he takes office on January 20th. It also noted that teams are “working tirelessly” to bring TikTok back to the U.S. market as soon as possible.
TikTok’s journey to this point has been chaotic, to say the least. While the company was aware of the looming deadline since President Biden signed the legislation in April, it seemingly failed to prepare a contingency plan. This lack of preparation became evident when the Supreme Court upheld the law’s constitutionality last Friday. Despite this, TikTok had been reassuring advertisers as recently as the night before that it was addressing the issue.
The company issued a stark warning last Friday, stating it would have to cease operations unless the Biden administration delayed enforcement of the law’s penalties. These penalties would affect TikTok’s service providers, such as Apple and Google, which could face steep fines for every U.S. user accessing the app. However, the Biden administration passed enforcement responsibilities to the incoming Trump administration, dismissing TikTok’s move as a “publicity stunt.”
Trump, who originally initiated the TikTok ban debate during his first term, has hinted at plans to extend the ban’s deadline by 90 days through an executive order. However, it remains unclear if such a delay is legally viable once the ban is in effect. Meanwhile, TikTok’s U.S. users are expressing their frustration, focusing more on pressuring politicians from both parties to revoke the ban than urging the company to sell its U.S. operations.
For now, TikTok users in the U.S. can only hope for a resolution that allows the platform to resume its services. Whether that happens quickly or drags out remains to be seen.
