Are there other options for TikTok?
In December, President-elect Donald Trump had filed a brief asking Supreme Court justices to temporarily block the law banning TikTok so that when he takes office, he can “pursue a political resolution” to the dispute.
When he takes office, one of Trump’s options to help save TikTok would be to grant a 90-day extension for the platform to continue its effort to find an American buyer — a provision specifically written into the law forcing a sale.
However, TikTok’s Chinese parent company ByteDance previously said it will not approve a sale of the app. If ByteDance were to approve a sale, there are U.S. buyers willing to purchase TikTok, including billionaire business executive Frank McCourt.
Gautam Hans, a professor of law at Cornell University, told NBC News earlier this month that Trump could also direct the Justice Department not to enforce the law, meaning that it would not prosecute Google and Apple for hosting the app in their respective app stores. But Hans didn’t think that the legal counsel for either company would be comfortable defying the law on Trump’s word alone.
Bethenny Frankel, Brittany Broski and other TikTok stars have begun posting on RedNote
After TikTok went dark for U.S. users on Sunday, several popular influencers from the app set their sights on popular Chinese platform RedNote, or Xiaohongshu.
Big names like “Real Housewives” star Bethenny Frankel, YouTuber Brittany Broski and makeup artist Manuel Gutierrez Jr., known as Mannymua, have begun posting on the Chinese platform. Food influencer Logan Moffitt, best known for his viral “entire cucumber” salad recipes, internet personality Tana Mangeau and “The Hills” star Spencer Pratt were also among those making the move.
What apps will U.S. TikTok users turn to now?
There are a handful of apps that appear to have captivated American TikTok users, who have been looking for an alternative in the case of a ban.
- RedNote, known as Xiaohongshu in China, is a social media platform that includes images, short-form videos, community building tools, shopping and more. It is owned by Shanghai-based Xingyin Information Technology.
- Some TikTok creators and users have also mentioned several emerging apps, such as Clapper and a yet-to-launch app called Neptune, as options.
- Meta also stands to gain new users of its TikTok-like product, Reels.
Musician Charlie Puth, an avid TikTok user, says ‘See You Again’ to platform
Charlie Puth, who document the creation of his 2022 album “Charlie” on TikTok, bid the app farewell in a video posted Friday.
The video, which was viewed more than 3.6 million times before the app went dark, features the artist playing his 2015 song, “See You Again” on the piano.
Chinese app RedNote grows in popularity
In just the past week, the Chinese platform Rednote has welcomed more than 700,000 new users, signaling a major shift in social media trends.
VPN apps surge on App Store
Apps for virtual private networks — more commonly called VPNs — are surging in Apple’s App Store.
VPNs allow people to route their internet traffic through servers often in other countries as a way to sidestep censorship and get around bans. It’s not clear if those apps are helping users access TikTok, as many in the U.S. have said on social media that the app is unavailable even through a VPN.
TikTok CEO Shou Chew thanks Trump
During his first term, President elect Donald Trump unsuccessfully tried to ban TikTok. But during his 2024 campaign, he joined the platform and changed his position on the app, saying he would “save TikTok” in a June video.
Now, the outgoing Biden administration has said it would leave enforcement of the ban to Trump. In a video posted to social media (including TikTok, before it went dark), TikTok CEO Shou Chew thanked Trump “for his commitment to work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States.”
In response to the Supreme Court’s Friday ruling, Trump issued a statement on Truth Social, writing, “The Supreme Court decision was expected, and everyone must respect it. My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I must have time to review the situation. Stay tuned!”
Some U.S. leaders and lawmakers backpedal on their TikTok ban stance
After a bipartisan bill to remove TikTok from app stores in the U.S. or force its sale passed last year, some officials in Washington now want to delay the ban from going into effect.
Instead, they said they want to see a delay to allow TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, more time to sell the app to a U.S. buyer.
TikTok had warned it would go ‘go dark’ by today
TikTok confirmed on Friday that it planned to go dark, saying in a post on X that it needs more clarity from the Biden administration and the Department of Justice regarding the ban that’s scheduled to go into effect today.
“The statements issued today by both the Biden White House and the Department of Justice have failed to provide the necessary clarity and assurance to the service providers that are integral to maintaining TikTok’s availability to over 170 million Americans,” the company wrote.
What some creators said ahead of the ban
In recent months, hundreds of TikTok users have lamented the looming ban, posting videos showcasing their anxiety, anger and grief as they prepare to lose access to it.
“There’s going to have to be sacrifices made, and it obviously does make me worry about everyday life, like groceries, rent, all those sorts of stuff,” Jonathan Miller, a songwriter and music commentator who has been a full-time creator since 2010, told NBC News in December.
Lemon8 and other ByteDance-owned apps also unavailable in U.S.
Ahead of the ban, TikTok pushed some users to its sister app Lemon8. The app, which rose in the App Store charts this month, has a variety of features including an Instagram-like photo option, TikTok-like videos that appeal to users’ specific sensibilities and interests, and a Pinterest-like interface that allows users to interact with different types of content at once.
But on Saturday evening, Lemon8, as well other Bytedance-owned apps Capcut and Gauth, were also unavailable to many U.S. users.
That’s because the law, which was upheld by the Supreme Court on Friday, stated that any of ByteDance’s subsidiaries could be also be banned.
People flock to rival social media platforms to react to TikTok shuttering
On Saturday, some TikTok users moved to rival social media platforms to commiserate over the app’s shutdown.
The popular Liza Minnelli Outlives X account weighed in, alerting followers that the actress outlived the app, “forcing many people to find new ways to waste time.”
One user compared TikTok to the Detroit Lions because they were both “eliminated by Washington.”
Where President elect Trump stands on the TikTok ban
President-elect Donald Trump told NBC News “Meet the Press” moderator Kristen Welker in a phone interview Saturday that he will “most likely” give TikTok a 90-day reprieve from a potential ban in the U.S. after he takes office Monday.
“I think that would be, certainly, an option that we look at. The 90-day extension is something that will be most likely done, because it’s appropriate. You know, it’s appropriate. We have to look at it carefully. It’s a very big situation,” Trump said in the phone interview.
“If I decide to do that, I’ll probably announce it on Monday,” he said.
Here’s what U.S. users are greeted with when they open the app
TikTok greeted users opening the app Saturday night with the message, “Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now.”
“A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S.,” the message continued. “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!”