TikTok announced on Sunday that it was restoring service to U.S. users just hours after the platform went offline due to a federal ban.
President-elect Donald Trump stated he would issue an executive order on his first day in office to delay the ban, giving TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, additional time to secure an approved buyer. Trump shared this update on his Truth Social account as millions of U.S. users found themselves unable to access the app.
The ban led Google and Apple to remove TikTok from their app stores in compliance with a law passed in April with bipartisan support. The law mandates significant penalties if ByteDance fails to sell its U.S. operations.
TikTok’s U.S. team posted on X, citing Trump’s announcement as providing “necessary clarity and assurance” to service providers, allowing them to continue offering TikTok to over 170 million Americans. Shortly after the statement, some users reported the app was functional again, and TikTok’s website also became accessible for certain users. However, the app remained unavailable for download in Apple and Google’s stores. Both companies have yet to comment on the situation.
