TikTok went dark in the U.S. — but it’s already coming back
TikTok is “in the process of restoring service” in the United States after shutting down for a large portion of Sunday.
Late on Saturday night, the company voluntarily removed itself from Apple and Google’s app stores, leaving 170 million users without the ability to use or download TikTok to their devices. After going dark, anyone who logged on to the video-sharing app was met with a message saying “you can’t use TikTok for now.” But on Sunday afternoon, the company issued a second statement suggesting it had found a pathway to restoring service. (The update did not provide a timeline for when full service would be restored, though many users are already reporting that the app is back up and running.)
“In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service,” TikTok’s Policy account posted to X. “We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive. It’s a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States.”
“There is no doubt that, for more than 170 million Americans, TikTok offers a distinctive and expansive outlet for expression, means of engagement and source of community,” the court said in its ruling. “But Congress has determined that divestiture is necessary to address its well-supported national security concerns regarding TikTok’s data collection practices and relationship with a foreign adversary.”
The action by the U.S. government, which first gained momentum thanks an executive order from President Trump administration, then fell to Congress and President Joe Biden to issue into law, was born out of a fear that ownership by the Chinese-based ByteDance posed a national security risk for Americans. But in the days before the law was to take effect, both Biden and Trump kicked the can on taking action to prevent the shutdown.
“We have laid out our position clearly and straightforwardly: actions to implement this law will fall to the next administration,” Karine Jean-Pierre, the White House press secretary, said last week. The administration said it would fall on the incoming president to make the next move. In response, TikTok made clear that the app would go dark if the government didn’t intervene.
In his own statement last week, President Trump said he would negotiate the situation when he arrives to office on Monday, though how he would do so remains unclear. An internal memo issued at TikTok, viewed by The Verge, suggested that there’s hope for action and “that teams are working tirelessly to bring our app back to the U.S. as soon as possible.”
Meanwhile, some TikTok users have already found their next platform. In the lead up to the shutdown, media apps RedNote and Lemon8, both saw a surge in new users.
Update (Jan. 19, 1:50pm): We have updated details of this story following a statement from TikTok.
