Apple and Google removed TikTok from its app stores on Saturday night, complying with a law requiring China's ByteDance to remove the social app or face an effective ban in the US
The Apple App Store and Google Play's removal of TikTok means that people in the US can no longer download the popular short-form video app onto their devices. The app's listing comes after the Supreme Court on Friday unanimously upheld the Protection of Americans from Foreign Enemy Claims Act, the President said. Joe Biden signed in April. TikTok announced its service on Friday would go darkmeaning it would stop working for Americans, unless the Biden administration intervened.
On Apple's App Store, a message saying “App Not Available” appears on TikTok's old app installation page.
“This app is not currently available in your country or region,” the message said.
“We're sorry, the requested URL was not found on this server,” said a message on the page previously hosted by TikTok on the Google Play store.
Some users who visited the TikTok app and website on Saturday were greeted with a message saying, “Sorry, TikTok is currently unavailable.”
“A law banning TikTok has been implemented in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can't use TikTok for now,” the announcement said. “We're lucky that the President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Stay tuned!”
Lemon8, another service owned by ByteDance, also displayed an ad informing users that it was not available in the U.S. The app had recently shot up the charts, becoming one of the biggest free apps – popular on iOS.
“Sorry, Lemon8 is currently unavailable,” the announcement states.
TikTok suspended its app service in the US on Saturday.
The law requires service providers not to support TikTok within the US unless ByteDance does a “qualified divestiture” of the app by Sunday. As a result, Apple, Google and Oracle could face severe penalties for not complying with the law. Apple and Google previously distributed the app through their app stores while Oracle provides cloud computing services to TikTok and said in June that the law would hurt his business.
After the Supreme Court's decision, TikTok CEO Shou Chew said the use of TikTok as a first correct change and said that more than 7 million American businesses use it to make money and find customers.
Waiting for Trump
“Rest assured, we will do everything in our power to ensure that our platform succeeds as your online home for endless creativity and discovery as well as a source of inspiration and joy for years to come,” Chew said in TikTok video.
Chew also thanked former President-elect Donald Trump asked the Supreme Court to stop the implementation of the law and to allow his administration “the opportunity to pursue a political solution to the questions at issue.” There is chewing intend to attend Trump's inauguration was held in Washington on Monday, along with tech leaders from companies including Meta, AmazonApple and Google.
Trump arrived in Washington on Saturday night. Its transition team did not immediately respond to TikTok's shutdown. Trump said Friday that the Supreme Court's decision was expected “and everybody has to respect it.”
“My decision on TikTok will be made soon, but I need time to review the situation. Trump write in a post on his social media app Truth Social.
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Saturday acknowledged TikTok's statement that it would go dark and labeled it a “stunt”.
“We have explained our position clearly and directly: actions to implement this law will be the responsibility of the next administration,” said Jean-Pierre. “So TikTok and other companies should raise any concerns with them.”
Trump told NBC News on Saturday said it would “most likely” give TikTok a 90-day extension on Sunday's deadline, and that it would “probably announce” a decision on Monday.
“I think that, certainly, would be an option that we will look at,” Trump said in the phone interview. “The 90-day extension is something that will be done more likely, because it is appropriate . You know, it's appropriate. We have to look at it carefully. It's a very big situation.”
Artificial intelligence startup Perplexity AI on Saturday submitted an offer for TikTok that would produce an AI-powered search engine together with TikTok's US operations and new capital partners, CNBC reported.
Internet advocacy group of businessman Frank McCourt Freedom project announced on January 9 that it had submitted a proposal to buy TikTok from ByteDance at undisclosed terms. McCourt told CNBC on Friday that “we are, I believe, the only bidder” that meets the necessary criteria to separate the technology from the Chinese algorithm.
