TikTok Goes Offline Hours Before US Ban

A notification on the app informed US users that the ban had been enacted, stating, "You can't use TikTok for now."

The ban stems from concerns over TikTok's ties to the Chinese government. The platform was given a January 19 deadline to be sold to an approved US buyer but failed to meet the requirement.

President Joe Biden had deferred the matter to his successor, Donald Trump, who indicated he might grant TikTok a 90-day extension.

"The 90-day extension is something that will most likely be done because it's appropriate," Trump told NBC News. "If I decide to do that, I'll probably announce it on Monday."

As of Saturday, TikTok was no longer available on Apple's or Google's US app stores, and its website, TikTok.com, stopped showing videos.

A message from TikTok expressed hope for a resolution: "We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office."

On Friday, the Supreme Court upheld the law, passed in April last year, mandating TikTok's parent company, ByteDance, to sell the platform by Sunday—a condition it failed to meet. TikTok argued the law violates the free speech rights of its 170 million US users.

Following the ruling, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew appealed to Trump, thanking him for his "commitment to work with us to find a solution." Chew is expected to attend Trump’s inauguration on Monday.

In the final hours before TikTok went offline, many creators posted farewell videos for their followers. Content creator Nicole Bloomgarden told the BBC that losing TikTok would significantly cut her income.

Another user, Erika Thompson, lamented the potential loss of educational content on the platform, calling it the community's "biggest loss."

Earlier on Saturday, TikTok notified users: "The law will force us to make our services temporarily unavailable. We're working to restore our service in the U.S. as soon as possible."