On Jan. 18, at approximately 8:30 p.m., American users were left devastated as the TikTok interface ‘went dark,’ nearly four hours prior to the anticipated ban on Jan. 19.
Because parent company ByteDance did not sell TikTok in the given time frame, when users opened the app on Saturday evening, the following message was displayed: “We regret that a U.S. law banning TikTok will take effect on Jan. 19 and force us to make our service temporarily unavailable. We’re working to restore our service in the U.S. as soon as possible, and we appreciate your support. Please stay tuned.” Users began to face glitches and connectivity issues on the app, but could still access the platform.
At approximately midnight, that same night, a follow up message was sent out that said, “A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. 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. Please stay tuned!” After this message, the app was completely unusable to American users.
People fell asleep Saturday believing the app to be gone, only to see on Sunday afternoon, at approximately 12:30 p.m., a fully functioning platform.
Before leaving office on Jan. 20, former President Joe Biden stated he would not enforce the ban, which left the decision up to current President Donald Trump.
Sunday afternoon, TikTok issued a statement on X saying that Trump clarified TikTok will face no penalties if they continue to make their app accessible to Americans. This resulted in the app restoring its services to 170 million Americans, as they no longer feared punishment.
Users were welcomed back to the app with a message that said, “Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.! You can continue to create, share and discover all the things you love on TikTok.”
On Monday, Trump signed an executive action to delay enforcement of the TikTok ban for 75 days while they look for an American buyer.