apple and google China’s ByteDance removed TikTok from its app store on Saturday night, following a law requiring it to sell its social app or face a de facto ban in the United States.
The removal of TikTok by the Apple App Store and Google Play Store will prevent people in the United States from downloading the popular short-form video app to their devices. The app’s delisting came after the Supreme Court on Friday unanimously upheld the Protecting Americans from Regulatory Applications by Foreign Enemies Act, which President Joe Biden signed in April. TikTok announced Friday that its service will go dark, or stop working for Americans, unless the Biden administration intervenes.
In Apple’s App Store, TikTok’s previous app installation page displays an “App Unavailable” message.
The message said, “This app is currently not available in your country or region.”
TikTok’s page, which was previously hosted on the Google Play Store, displayed a message that read, “Sorry, the requested URL could not be found on this server.”
Some users who accessed TikTok’s app and website on Saturday were greeted with a message that read, “Sorry, TikTok is currently unavailable.”
“A law has been enacted in the United States that bans TikTok. Unfortunately, this means that you cannot use TikTok at this time,” the notice reads. “We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he is willing to work with us on a solution to bring TikTok back once he takes office. Stay tuned!”
Lemon8, another service owned by ByteDance, also displayed a notice informing users that it is not available in the United States. The app has recently rocketed up the charts, becoming one of the most popular free apps on iOS.
“Sorry, Lemon8 is currently unavailable,” the notice says.
TikTok suspended its app’s service in the United States on Saturday.
The law requires the service provider to no longer support TikTok in the United States if ByteDance fails to complete a “qualified sale” of the app by Sunday. As a result, Apple, Google, and Oracle could face severe penalties if they fail to comply with the law. Apple and Google previously distributed apps through their own app stores, while Oracle provides cloud computing services to TikTok and said in June that the law would harm its business. .
After the Supreme Court’s ruling, TikTok CEO Hsu Chiu said using TikTok is a First Amendment right, and more than 7 million U.S. businesses are using it to make money or find customers. He added that he uses TikTok for this purpose.
waiting for trump
“Rest assured, we are committed to ensuring that our platform thrives as an online home for endless creativity and discovery, and a source of inspiration and joy for years to come,” Chu said. said in a TikTok video.
Chu also thanked President-elect Donald Trump, who previously asked the Supreme Court to suspend enforcement of the law and give his administration “an opportunity to pursue a political resolution of the issues in the case.” expressed. Chu will attend President Trump’s inauguration in Washington on Monday, along with technology leaders from the following companies: meta, AmazonApple and Google.
Trump arrived in Washington on Saturday night. His transition team did not immediately respond to the shutdown of TikTok. President Trump said Friday that the Supreme Court’s decision was expected and “everyone has to respect it.”
“My decision regarding TikTok will be made in the not-too-distant future, but I need time to consider the situation. Stay tuned!” Trump wrote in a post on his social media app Truth Social. I wrote it.
On CNN on Sunday, President Trump’s incoming National Security Adviser Mike Walz said that having a “firewall on the continental United States to ensure data protection” could allow China to continue owning TikTok. He said that there is.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre confirmed TikTok’s statement about going dark on Saturday, characterizing it as a “stunt.”
“We have expressed our position clearly and openly, and it will be up to the next administration to take action to implement this law,” Jean-Pierre said. “So TikTok and other companies should take any concerns on board.”
President Trump told NBC News on Saturday that he would “most likely” extend Sunday’s deadline for TikTok by 90 days and that he would “probably announce” a decision on Monday.
“I think that would certainly be an option that we would consider,” Trump said in a phone interview. “A 90-day extension will probably happen because it’s appropriate. You know, it’s appropriate. We have to think carefully. This is a very big situation.”
Perplexity AI, an artificial intelligence startup, submitted a bid for TikTok on Saturday, resulting in the combination of the AI-powered search engine startup with TikTok’s U.S. operations and a new capital partner, CNBC reports. It is said that it will happen.
Project Liberty, an internet advocacy group run by businessman Frank McCourt, announced on January 9 that it has submitted a proposal to acquire TikTok from ByteDance for undisclosed terms. “We believe we are the only bidder” that meets the necessary criteria to separate the technology from Chinese algorithms, McCourt told CNBC on Friday.
WATCH: Congress seeks extension of TikTok ban.

