TikTok goes dark in US; users get 'not available right now' message

The popular video-sharing app TikTok went dark late Saturday in the U.S.

TikTok users in the country were greeted with a message that read: "Sorry, TikTok isn't available right now", Xinhua news agency reported.

"A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can't use TikTok for now," read the message, adding: "We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!"

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said earlier on Saturday that he will "most likely" give TikTok a 90-day extension on Inauguration Day, which is Monday.

In an interview with NBC News, Trump said he hadn't made a final decision on TikTok but was considering a 90-day extension of the Sunday deadline.

"I think that would be, certainly, an option that we look at. The 90-day extension is something that will be most likely done, because it's appropriate," Trump said in the phone interview. "We have to look at it carefully. It's a very big situation."

TikTok, headquartered in Los Angeles, warned Friday that it would be forced to shut down its services for the 170 million users in the United States on Sunday unless U.S. President Joe Biden provides a "definitive" assurance.

Earlier on Friday, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a law forcing TikTok's Chinese owner, ByteDance, to sell the app to an American company or face a nationwide ban starting on Sunday, just one day before Trump's inauguration.

In the wake of the decision, millions of users flocked to TikTok's site to express their support for the platform.

The White House responded shortly after the Supreme Court's ruling, shifting responsibility to TikTok and Trump.

In April 2024, Biden signed the bill requiring ByteDance to sell the app within 270 days, citing unfounded national security concerns.

If the company fails to comply, the law mandates that app store operators like Apple and Google remove TikTok from their platforms starting Jan. 19, 2025.

Business insiders warned that unless the Biden administration provides clarity that TikTok's service providers will not be penalized for violating the ban, these companies will be forced to comply with the law.

Other Bytedance apps including Lemon8, CapCut, Hypic, Gauth and MARVEL SNAP also became unavailable to users in the United States Saturday night.

Apple released a statement on its website "about the availability of TikTok and ByteDance Ltd. apps in the United States."

"TikTok and ByteDance Ltd. apps are no longer available in the United States, and visitors to the United States might have limited access to features," it read.

"Apple is obligated to follow the laws in the jurisdictions where it operates," Apple said, adding that "Pursuant to the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, apps developed by ByteDance Ltd. and its subsidiaries -- including TikTok, CapCut, Lemon8, and others -- will no longer be available for download or updates on the App Store for users in the United States starting January 19, 2025."

"If you already have these apps installed on your device, they will remain on your device. But they can't be redownloaded if deleted or restored if you move to a new device. In-app purchases and new subscriptions are no longer possible," Apple noted.

ByteDance's apps remain available for download in all other countries and regions where they are available, according to the statement.