Joe Rossignol
Apple removed TikTok from the US App Store this evening, meaning the app can no longer be installed on iPhones and iPads in the country. Elsewhere, the app is still available in the App Store and fully functional.
US iPhone and iPad users who have already installed TikTok can no longer use the app as of this evening, as TikTok has made the app “temporarily unavailable.”
A law banning TikTok in the US unless Chinese company ByteDance relinquishes ownership of the social media platform will go into effect this Sunday, January 19. Lawmakers have expressed concern that TikTok's ties to China pose a national security threat.
TikTok now displays the following notice to users who open the app in the country:
A law banning TikTok has been passed in the United States. Unfortunately, this means you can't use TikTok for now.
We are fortunate that President Trump has made it clear that he will work with us on a solution to restore TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!
The Biden administration said Friday that because of the timing of the TikTok ban, it will be up to the next administration to implement the law. US President-elect Donald Trump will be sworn in this Monday, January 20, and he may reportedly grant TikTok a 90-day reprieve from the ban.
Biden believes TikTok should remain accessible in the US under US control.
In a statement on Friday, TikTok warned that the app would become unavailable absent intervention from the Biden administration:
Statements released today by both the Biden White House and the Justice Department failed to provide service providers with the clarity and assurances they need to keep TikTok accessible to more than 170 million Americans.
Unless the Biden administration immediately provides a final statement to satisfy the most important service providers by assuring non-compliance, unfortunately, TikTok will be forced to go dark on January 19th.
TikTok made good on its promise by making the app unavailable, and Apple has now taken action too. Apple could have faced billions of dollars in fines if it had continued to offer access to the app as of January 19th.
TikTok has also been removed from the Google Play Store on Android.
This saga is far from over.
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