When did TikTok come back in the US? Timeline and what happens next

It’s official: TikTok is back in the US, at least for now. How did we get here, and why was one of the most popular social media apps in the world no longer allowed in the country? Here’s what you need to know.

President Joe Biden signed a bill back in April 2024 that requires TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell off its shares of the short-form video app within nine months – or face a ban in the United States.

TikTok’s CEO Shou Zi Chew quickly responded, claiming the bill violates US citizen’s right to freedom of speech, and has attempted to prevent the bill from being enacted ever since.

The company’s first attempt at postponing the law was denied by the US Appeals Court in early December – leaving many worried that the ban would be enacted after the nine-month divestment period.

That time has come, and the app has been taken down. It can no longer be downloaded or used.

When did TikTok get banned in the US?

TikTok was removed from the Apple App Store and Google Play Store at 10:30pm EST on January 18, 2025. The company also shut down access to the service at that time.

The Biden administration has revealed that the President has no plans to enforce the law on January 19, however, leaving it up to President-elect Donald Trump to decide what to do with the case.

In its message to users, TikTok said: “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!”

Google and Apple will still be subject to potential fines for hosting the app in their app stores, and service providers will not be able to provide access to the website without potential punishments.

TikTok

ByteDance-owned apps Lemon8 and CapCut were also affected by the TikTok ban, as the services were shut down and they were removed from the app stores.

When did TikTok come back to the US?

TikTok began restoring services at 12:30 pm EST on January 19, 14 hours after the blackout started. Users were faced with a message from TikTok when they opened the app after service began to return.

“Welcome Back!” it said. “Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!

“You can continue to create, share, and discover all the things you love on TikTok.”

Can TikTok still get banned?

Yes, TikTok can still get banned. The law took effect on Sunday, January 19, and has not been repealed. A few things are happening in an effort to prevent that from happening, however.

Trump signs Executive Order extending ban by 75 days

On Monday, January 20, President Trump signed an executive order delaying the enforcement of the TikTok ban for 75 days. In the order, it states that the US government will not issue fines to Google, Apple, or internet service providers for offering access to the ByteDance-owned app.

With this extension, Trump said on social media that he wants the US to have “a 50% ownership position in a joint venture.” How he plans on making that happen, however, is unknown at the time of writing.

TikTok has made it quite clear that they don’t have interest in selling the app alongside its highly-regarded algorithm that powers the app’s For You Page.

Despite that, quite a few billionaires have expressed interest in purchasing TikTok, including Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary and YouTube sensation MrBeast. Rumors of X owner Elon Musk buying the platform surfaced as well, but TikTok quickly shut that down.

Senate introduces bill to repeal TikTok ban entirely

US Representatives Ro Khanna and Rand Paul have also banded together to introduce a bill into Congress that, if passed, will repeal the TikTok ban law entirely.

“We cannot allow TikTok to go dark ever again,” he said in a video on TikTok. “The only real solution is to pass Senator Rand Paul and my bill to repeal the original legislation. I will fight to make sure that any solution that President Trump has does not negatively affect content creators.”

Creators have been flocking to another Chinese-owned social media app, Xiaohongshu, also known as Rednote, but a lawyer warned Dexerto that the US may try to ban that app in the future as well.