TikTok stopped working in the United States late on Saturday and disappeared from Apple and Google stores ahead of a law that will take effect on Sunday requiring the suspension of the app used by 170 million Americans.

US President-elect Donald Trump said earlier this afternoon that he “might” give TikTok a 90-day ban after taking office on Monday, a promise TikTok made in a notice sent to users of the app.

TikTok, which is owned by China’s ByteDance, told users trying to use the app at 10:45 p.m. ET: “A ban on TikTok has been implemented in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok right now. We’re lucky. President Trump has said He will work with us on how to solve TikTok as soon as he takes over.

Although temporary, the unprecedented shutdown of TikTok, which is owned by the Chinese company ByteDance, is expected to have a significant impact on US-China relations, US domestic politics, the TV market and millions of Americans who rely on the program for economic and social reasons. .

The United States has never banned a major social network. The most recent law passed by Congress gives the incoming Trump administration the power to block or seek to sell certain Chinese programs.

Other ByteDance apps, including video editing app Capcut and social media app Lemon8, were also offline and unavailable in US stores as of late Saturday.

“A 90-day extension is something that can be done, because it’s appropriate,” Trump told NBC. “If I decide to do it, I’ll probably announce it on Monday.”

TikTok users logged in late on Saturday were met with a message which said the order “forces our services to be temporarily unavailable. We are working to restore our service to the US as soon as possible.”

It was not known if US users could still use the app, but it was not working for many users and people who wanted to access it through the Internet were met with the same message that TikTok is no longer working.

The Chinese program, which has attracted almost half of the American population, which runs small businesses and the Internet culture, said that on Friday it will be dark in the US on Sunday unless the administration of President Joe Biden gives assurances to companies such as Apple and Google that. they will not face enforcement when the ban goes into effect.

Under a law passed last year and confirmed on Friday by the Supreme Court, the platform has until Sunday to reduce relations with its parent ByteDance from China or close its US operations to address concerns about threats to national security.

The White House said Saturday that it was up to the incoming administration to take action, raising the possibility of a Sunday shutdown.

“We see no reason for TikTok or other companies to take action in the coming days before the Trump administration takes office on Monday,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

TikTok did not respond to a request for comment on the White House’s latest statement.

China’s ambassador to Washington on Friday criticized the US for using state power to crack down on TikTok. “China will do everything necessary to protect its rights and interests,” the spokesman said.

Users flock to other channels

Doubts about the app’s future sent users, especially young people, looking for alternatives including China-based RedNote. Rivals Meta and Snap also saw their shares rise this month ahead of the ban, as investors bet on growing user numbers and ad dollars.

“This is my new home now,” wrote one user on RedNote’s post, which included the words “tiktokrefugee” and “sad.”

Minutes after TikTok shut down in the US, some users took to X, formerly known as Twitter.

“I didn’t really think they would cut TikTok. Now I’m sad and I miss the friends I made there. I hope it all comes back in a few days,” wrote @RavenclawJedi.

NordVPN, the popular private internet, or VPN, which allows users to access the Internet from servers around the world, said it was “experiencing temporary issues.”

Searches for “VPN” on the internet spiked minutes after US users were unable to access TikTok, according to Google Trends.

Instagram users have worried about whether they will still receive items they bought on TikTok Shop, the video commerce arm of the platform.

Retail companies that rely on TikTok rushed to prepare for an emergency this week that one executive described as “hair on fire” after months of conventional wisdom saying a solution would be possible to keep the app running.

SEE | The tech expert says RedNote can ‘target or exploit users’:

China’s RedNote app a dangerous “pulling tool”, tech expert says | Canada Tonight

Chinese TV app RedNote has gained traction after more than half a million TikTok users recently joined the platform to protest the impending ban on the short-form video app in the United States, which will take effect on Sunday. Cybersecurity expert Jason Snyder says RedNote can ‘monitor or exploit users,’ adding that the real danger comes with ‘the ability to control content.’

There have been signs that TikTok could make a comeback under Trump, who has said he wants to follow a “political decision” on the issue and last month urged the Supreme Court to halt the ban.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew plans to attend the US presidential inauguration and attend a meeting with Trump on Sunday, a source told Reuters.

Investors including former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt have expressed interest in the fast-growing business that analysts estimate could be worth as much as US$50 billion. Media reports say Beijing has also discussed selling TikTok’s US operations to billionaire and Trump ally Elon Musk, although the company has denied this.

US search engine startup Perplexity AI made an offer on Saturday to ByteDance for Perplexity to join TikTok US, a source familiar with the company’s plans told Reuters. Disruption could merge with TikTok US and create a new entity by merging the company with other partners, the person added.

Privately held ByteDance owns about 60 percent of the company’s stockholders such as BlackRock and General Atlantic, while founders and employees own 20 percent each. It has more than 7,000 employees in the US