TikTok ban takes effect in US, prominent app stores pull social media platform from their offerings

TikTok was removed from major app stores on Saturday evening as a federal ban on the popular social media platform took effect. By 10:50 PM EST, the app was no longer available on Apple’s App Store and Google Play, following a law requiring TikTok’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, to either sell the platform or face a ban in the United States.

On Saturday evening, users attempting to access the TikTok app were met with a pop-up message from the company, preventing them from scrolling through videos.

“Sorry TikTok isn't available right now. A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the US,” the message said. “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 message said. “Please stay tuned!”

Prior to that announcement, the company informed users in a separate message that its service would be "temporarily unavailable" and assured them it was working to restore its US operations "as soon as possible."

The federal law, signed by President Joe Biden last year, required ByteDance to sell its stake in TikTok’s US operations or face a nationwide ban. The company was given nine months to sell to an approved buyer but instead chose to challenge the law in court. However, ByteDance and TikTok ultimately lost their case when the Supreme Court upheld the law on Friday.

Under the legislation, mobile app stores are prohibited from offering TikTok, and internet hosting services are barred from providing the platform to American users.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco stated that the Biden administration had decided to leave the enforcement of the law to President-elect Donald Trump, as his inauguration takes place the day after the ban goes into effect.

Following the court ruling on Friday, TikTok stated that it "would be forced to go dark" unless the administration issued a "definitive statement" to the companies responsible for delivering its service in the US.

White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre dismissed TikTok's demand as a "stunt" and stated there was no reason for TikTok or other companies to take any action in the coming days before the Trump administration assumes office.

In an NBC News interview on Saturday, President-elect Donald Trump mentioned he was considering granting TikTok a 90-day extension to continue operating.

The federal law allows the sitting president to extend the deadline by 90 days if a sale is underway. However, no clear buyers have surfaced, and ByteDance has previously stated it will not sell TikTok.

If an extension is granted, Trump suggested it would "probably" be announced on Monday.

Meanwhile, on Saturday, artificial intelligence startup Perplexity AI proposed a plan to ByteDance to create a new entity by merging Perplexity with TikTok's US business. According to a source familiar with the matter, if successful, this new structure would bring in additional investors while allowing ByteDance’s current shareholders to retain their stake in the company.

Perplexity is not seeking to purchase ByteDance's algorithm, which powers TikTok's personalized video recommendations and has played a key role in the platform's success.

Other investors have also expressed interest in TikTok. "Shark Tank" star Kevin O’Leary recently revealed that he and billionaire Frank McCourt had assembled a consortium of investors who offered ByteDance $20 billion in cash. Additionally, Trump’s former Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin stated last year that he was forming an investor group to acquire TikTok.