apologize and Google TikTok was removed from the App Store on Saturday night. This is to comply with laws that would require China’s ByteDance to scrap its social app or face an effective ban in the United States.
The removal of TikTok from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store means people in the United States will no longer be able to download the popular short-form video app on their devices. The app’s removal comes after the Supreme Court unanimously decided Friday to uphold legislation protecting Americans from foreign enemy control applications signed by President Joe Biden in April. On Friday, TikTok said the service would be shut down. This means services for Americans will be cut off unless the Biden administration intervenes.
In the Apple App Store, a message saying ‘the app is unavailable’ appears on TikTok’s previous app installation page.
“This app is currently unavailable in your country or region,” the message continued.
Pages that previously hosted TikTok on the Google Play Store displayed the message “Sorry, the URL you requested cannot be found on this server.”
Some users who visited the TikTok app and website on Saturday received a message saying, “Sorry, TikTok is unavailable right now.”
“Laws banning TikTok have been enacted in the United States. Unfortunately, this means you cannot use TikTok at this time,” the notice reads. “We are fortunate that President Trump has stated that he will work with us on a solution to restore TikTok once he takes office. Stay tuned!”
Lemon8, another service owned by ByteDance, also displayed a notice informing users that it was not available in the United States.
A notification will appear saying “Sorry, Lemon8 is currently unavailable.”
TikTok discontinued its app in the United States on Saturday.
The law states that if ByteDance fails to conduct a “qualifying sale” of the app by Sunday, the service provider must no longer support TikTok in the United States. As a result, Apple, Google, and Oracle could face stiff penalties if they do not comply with the law. Apple and Google previously distributed apps through their app stores, and Oracle provided cloud computing services to TikTok and said in June that the law would hurt its business.
After the Supreme Court ruling, TikTok CEO Shou Chew said the use of TikTok is a First Amendment right, adding that more than 7 million U.S. businesses use TikTok to make money and find customers.
“We are committed to ensuring our platform thrives as an online home for boundless creativity and discovery, as well as a source of inspiration and joy for years to come,” Chew said in a TikTok video.
Chu also thanked President-elect Donald Trump, who previously asked the Supreme Court to halt enforcement of the law and allow the administration “the opportunity to pursue a political resolution to the issues at issue in the case.” Chew is scheduled to attend President Trump’s inauguration ceremony in Washington on Monday, along with technology leaders from companies including Meta, Amazon, Apple and Google.
Trump arrived in Washington on Saturday evening. His transition team did not immediately respond to the TikTok shutdown. President Trump said Friday that he expected the Supreme Court’s decision and that “everyone should respect it.”
“My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I’ll have time to review the situation. Stay tuned!” Trump posted on his social media app ‘Truth Social’.
TikTok said on Friday it would “suspend services on Sunday unless the Biden administration immediately provides a clear statement to satisfy our most critical service providers ensuring non-enforcement.”
White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre acknowledged Saturday’s statement that TikTok would go dark and characterized it as a “stunt.”
“We have laid out our position clearly and simply. We will leave it to the next administration to take action to implement this law,” Jean-Pierre said. “Therefore, TikTok and other companies must address all concerns related to them.”
Trump told NBC News on Saturday that he would most likely give TikTok a 90-day extension to ByteDance’s Sunday deadline requiring it to sell the app’s U.S. operations and would announce its decision on Monday.
“I think that’s definitely going to be an option that we’re looking at. A 90-day extension is the one that’s most likely to get done because it’s appropriate. You know, it’s appropriate. We’ll have to look at it carefully,” President Trump said. “It’s a very big situation,” he said in a phone interview.
Artificial intelligence startup Perplexity AI submitted a bid for TikTok on Saturday, and the AI-powered search engine startup will combine with TikTok’s U.S. operations and a new capital partner, CNBC reported.
see: Congress calls for extension of TikTok ban.
