Nicely, it occurred – TikTok goes offline wi...

Pour one out for TikTok — at least for now.

TikTok’s cell app has stopped working and has been faraway from Apple’s App Retailer and Google Play as of Saturday, January 18th, only a few hours ahead of its January 19th ban.

Customers are actually greeted with a message that claims, “Sorry, TikTok is not obtainable proper now. A regulation banning TikTok has been enacted within the U.S. Sadly, which means you possibly can’t use TikTok for now. We’re lucky that President Trump has indicated that he’ll work with us on an answer to reinstate TikTok as soon as he takes workplace. “

The app permits customers to shut it or “be taught extra,” which directs to TikTok’s website. TikTok has additionally been faraway from Apple’s App Retailer and Google’s Play Retailer within the US. Any app market that also lists TikTok is topic to a $5,000 superb for each person that downloads the app. Different ByteDance-owned apps, together with CapCut, are at the moment displaying related messages.

It is unclear how lengthy TikTok can be unavailable

It is as much as the Trump Administration now

Following the passing of the “Defending People from Overseas Adversary Managed Apps Act” by President Biden, TikTok had six months to divest itself from Chinese language-owned dad or mum firm ByteDance. The app fought the regulation based mostly on the First Modification, bringing it to the Supreme Court docket. Nevertheless, the US’ highest court docket lately upheld the ban, making it clear the video-sharing social community would probably be shut down within the nation. For months, rumors swirled a few doable sale to a US-based firm, however a deal did not materialize.

Earlier this week, White Home officers said that TikTok’s ban wouldn’t be enforced and that the duty can be left as much as President-elect Donald Trump’s administration. Nevertheless, TikTok launched an announcement indicating that the White Home’s place “failed to offer the mandatory readability and assurance to the service suppliers which are integral to sustaining TikTok’s availability to over 170 million People.”

In a latest interview with NBC News, Trump — who initially supported TikTok’s ban — said that he would “almost definitely” grant a 90-day extension to ByteDance. Trump is ready to take workplace on January twentieth, so there is a chance TikTok’s US ban may very well be transient.

Nevertheless, it is nonetheless unclear if ByteDance is prepared to divest from TikTok and promote its US-based operations. In accordance with CNN, Canadian Kevin O’Leary (finest identified for being on Shark Tank) proposed shopping for the service alongside a number of different buyers. Perplexity AI has reportedly additionally supplied to purchase TikTok’s stateside operations, in response to CNBC. With TikTok’s ban looming, earlier this week, US customers flooded Chinese language app RedNote, an analogous short-form video social community.

Since I dwell in Canada, I can nonetheless entry TikTok, although I anticipate my feed will rapidly turn out to be far much less entertaining. My total For You web page at the moment is stuffed with glib jokes in regards to the social media platform’s impending loss of life.