TikTok said it is restoring access to the video after President-elect Donald Trump vowed that the companies that distribute and host the platform will not be held liable for violating a US law that took effect on Sunday.

“In cooperation with service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service,” the company said on Sunday. “We thank President Trump for his clarity and assurance to our donors that they will not face any penalties for providing TikTok.”

TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, said it would work with Trump “on a long-term strategy that makes TikTok a US presence”.

TikTok’s website appeared to be working in the US as of Sunday afternoon, while the app went live a few hours later.

However, TikTok has not appeared on Apple and Google stores. Apple has told visitors to its app store that they cannot download TikTok. It also told existing users that they could no longer update the app. “Apple must comply with the laws in which it operates,” the company said.

Apple and Google did not respond to requests for comment.

Trump said he would issue an executive order on Monday to ensure that companies that help TikTok remain in business cannot be prosecuted for violating the ban passed by Congress.

TikTok had suspended operations this week ahead of Sunday’s deadline from a law requiring ByteDance to sell the video software to avoid banning app stores from downloading it.

Starting at midnight on Saturday, companies such as Apple, Google, Akamai and Oracle were banned from providing distribution services or hosting the program and risking $5,000 per user. Akamai and Oracle, which provide cloud services to TikTok, did not respond to requests for comment.

“I’m asking companies not to let TikTok go dark!” Trump said on his Truth Social platform on Sunday.

“I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the suspension of this order so that we can work together to protect our national security,” the president-elect said.

Mike Waltz, a Florida lawmaker who will be Trump’s national security adviser when he is inaugurated on Monday, told CNN that the president-elect would consider allowing Chinese ownership but with “threats” to ensure that the program is “protected here in the US”.

Trump said in his Social Truth article that he wants the US to “have 50 percent ownership in the deal”.

“In doing this, we keep TikTok, keep it in good hands and let it say (yes), “said Trump. “Without US approval, there is no TikTok. With our approval, it is worth hundreds of billions of dollars – maybe billions. ”

“My initial idea is a deal between the current owners and/or the new owners where the US gets 50 percent ownership in the deal that is made between the US and any purchase we choose.”

U.S. lawmakers and security officials believe the Chinese government could use TikTok to gain access to Americans’ personal information, which could lead to spying. TikTok denies that China has control over the app.

The Supreme Court on Friday upheld the ban. Mr Trump on Saturday said he “might” extend the time to sell TikTok, which has been downloaded by 170mn Americans, by up to 90 days.

But some Republican lawmakers, including Tom Cotton, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Nebraska Senator Pete Ricketts, said there was “no legitimate basis for any kind of ‘expansion’”.

“Any company that owns, distributes, operates, or supports the communist-controlled TikTok could face billions in damages under the law, not only from the DOJ (Department of Justice), but also under securities laws, shareholder lawsuits, and state AGs,” Cotton said in a tweet on X. “Think about it.”

One person involved in the drafting of the bill said there is no provision for an extension after the January 19 deadline passes.

It allowed for a 90-day extension if certain conditions were met – including evidence of “substantial progress” on the divestiture and “binding agreements” to be executed – but only before the deadline.

During his first term, Trump issued an order to ban TikTok from operating in the US, but it was blocked by the courts. He also tried to create a deal that would ensure China could not get more. Chinese law requires Chinese companies to hand over data when ordered by the government.

Trump last year opposed a congressional divest-or-ban bill, saying it would help Facebook, which banned him from its platform for two years. Facebook competes with TikTok through its Instagram app.

On Friday, Trump made his first phone call with President Xi Jinping since he left the White House in 2021. He said they discussed TikTok, although in China the reading did not mention the program.

Vice President Han Zheng will attend the event on Monday in place of Xi, who was invited by Trump.

When asked why Trump is creating an “offensive charm” with China, Waltz told CBS that the relationship with the Chinese leader needs to overcome problems since the release of the Chinese drug used to make Fentanyl in the South China Sea disputes.

“(Trump) believes he can join these kinds of administrations only if they have a relationship,” he added

Additional reports by George Hammond in San Francisco