TikTok restored in US less than 24hrs after ban
President-elect thanked for ‘efforts’ is restoring the app he originally suggested banning
The TikTok ban in the US has been lifted, less than 24 hours after users lost access.
TikTok stopped functioning in the United States late on Saturday and vanished from Apple and Google app stores ahead of a new law requiring its shutdown, set to take effect on Sunday.
The platform’s 170 million American users were met with a message referencing President-elect Donald Trump, who indicated he would “most likely” grant the app a 90-day reprieve from the ban.
“A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the US. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now,” the message read. “We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned.”
On Sunday evening, users were met with a new message and once again had full access to the video-sharing app.
The message read: “Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the US!”
It is not clear whether this is part of the aforementioned 90-day extension on the ban or a permanent fix.
Donald Trump and his wife Melania are set to move into the White House
AP
The United States has never before banned a major social media platform but the law was passed overwhelmingly by Congress.
It gives the incoming Trump administration sweeping authority to ban or seek the sale of other Chinese-owned apps.
Other apps owned by ByteDance, including video editing app CapCut and lifestyle social app Lemon8, were also offline and unavailable in US app stores as of late Saturday.
TikTok, which has captivated nearly half of all Americans, powered small businesses and shaped online culture, warned on Friday it would go dark in the US on Sunday unless President Joe Biden's administration provided assurances to companies such as Apple and Google that they will not face enforcement actions when a ban takes effect.