TikTok restores service in U.S. after Trump announces plan to revive app access

TikTok began restoring its services on Sunday after President-elect Donald Trump announced he would revive the app's access in the U.S. when he returns to power on Monday.

"Frankly, we have no choice. We have to save it," Trump said at a rally on Sunday ahead of his inauguration, adding that the U.S. would seek a joint venture to restore the short-video sharing app used by 170 million Americans.

In a message to users hours before the rally, TikTok said: "As a result of President Trump's efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S."

TikTok also issued an earlier statement after U.S. users reported being able to access the Chinese-owned service's website, while the far more widely used TikTok app itself began coming back online for some users, albeit with just a few basic services. As of Sunday evening, the app remained unavailable for download in U.S. app stores.

"In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service," TikTok said in the earlier statement that also thanked Trump for "providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties (for) providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive."

TikTok stopped working for U.S. users late on Saturday, just before a law shutting it down on national security grounds took effect on Sunday. U.S. officials had warned that under Chinese parent company ByteDance, there was a risk of Americans' data being misused.

Trump said he would "extend the period of time before the law's prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security."

"I would like the United States to have a 50-percent ownership position in a joint venture," he wrote on Truth Social.

Trump added that the executive order would specify there would be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before his order.

Trump had earlier said he would most likely give TikTok a 90-day reprieve from the ban after he takes office, a promise TikTok cited in a notice posted to users on the app.

"A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can't use TikTok for now. We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned," a message notified users of TikTok, which disappeared from Apple, opens new tab and Google app stores late on Saturday.

Trump's decision to restore TikTok marks a reversal from his stance during his first term in office. In 2020, he aimed to ban the app due to concerns that the company was sharing Americans' personal information with the Chinese government. More recently, Trump has expressed that he has "a warm spot in my heart for TikTok," crediting the app with helping him win over young voters in the 2024 election.

The U.S. has never banned a major social media platform. The law, which was passed overwhelmingly by Congress, grants the incoming Trump administration sweeping authority to either ban or seek the sale of other Chinese-owned apps.

Other apps owned by ByteDance, including video editing app CapCut and lifestyle social app Lemon8, were also offline and unavailable in U.S. app stores as of late Saturday.

Web searches for "VPN" spiked in the minutes after U.S. users lost access to TikTok, according to Google Trends.

Users on Instagram fretted about whether they would still receive merchandise they had bought on TikTok Shop, the video platform's e-commerce arm.

Marketing firms reliant on TikTok quickly scrambled to prepare contingency plans, with one executive describing the moment as a "hair on fire" scenario after months of conventional wisdom suggesting a solution would materialize to keep the app running.

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

U.S. search engine startup Perplexity AI submitted a bid on Saturday to ByteDance for Perplexity to merge with TikTok U.S., a source familiar with the company's plans told Reuters. Perplexity would merge with TikTok U.S. and create a new entity by combining the merged company with other partners, the person added.

Privately held ByteDance is about 60 percent owned by institutional investors such as BlackRock and General Atlantic, while its founders and employees own 20 percent each. It has more than 7,000 employees in the U.S.

(With input from Reuters)