“Sorry, TikTok is currently unavailable,” the message read.
Hours before a federal law banning TikTok in the United States was set to take effect on Sunday, the Chinese social media app shut down and American users could no longer access videos on the platform. Instead, the app greeted them by saying “the law banning TikTok has been enacted.”
“We are fortunate that President Trump has said he will work with us to find solutions,” the source said. “Stay tuned!”
TikTok also appears to have been removed from Apple and Google’s U.S. app stores, some users said. Additionally, TikTok’s sister app Lemon8 stopped working, displaying a message to US users saying it was “currently unavailable.” TikTok and Lemon8 are both owned by Chinese internet giant ByteDance.
TikTok became unavailable after the Supreme Court decided on Friday to uphold the law that requires ByteDance to sell the app by Sunday or face a ban. The law was overwhelmingly passed by Congress last year and signed by President Biden. TikTok, which faces national security concerns over its ties to China, had believed it could win a legal challenge to the law but failed.
The blackout ends a turmoil for TikTok, which has seen the company make last-minute pleas to the Biden administration and President-elect Donald J. Trump for relief from legal sanctions. Until Saturday night, no one — including the U.S. government — was entirely sure what would happen if the law took effect. The United States has never blocked an app used by tens of millions of Americans overnight.
The law has a provision that penalizes app store operators such as Apple and Google, as well as internet hosting companies such as Oracle, for distributing or maintaining the TikTok app. Under the law, the companies face penalties of up to $5,000 for each user who has access to the app.
TikTok, Apple and Oracle did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Google declined to comment.
For TikTok and ByteDance, the development is a major blow. TikTok has about 170 million U.S. users, who are among the app’s most profitable customers. TikTok said in legal filings that even a temporary disappearance could lead to its collapse, with users and creators leaving for other platforms never to return even if the ban is lifted.
The situation is further complicated by the fact that the law’s effective date falls in the final days of Biden’s presidency. A White House spokesman said Saturday that the Biden administration will not begin fining companies on Sunday.
“We see no reason for TikTok or other companies to take action in the days leading up to the Trump administration’s inauguration on Monday,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. “Our position has been made clear and direct: the implementation of this law will be the responsibility of the next government.”
Spokespersons for the White House and Justice Department did not respond to requests for comment after TikTok was taken offline.
Trump said on Saturday that he would “probably” find a way to extend TikTok by 90 days after taking office on Monday. The law stipulates that the president has the power to extend the sale only if there is “significant progress” in a deal to put TikTok in the hands of non-Chinese owners. It is unclear how the extension will be implemented if the ban is already in effect.
Trump also said he could sign an executive order to circumvent the app’s ban. TikTok CEO Shou Chew is expected to attend Trump’s inauguration on Monday.
The mood was somber on TikTok on Saturday. Alix Earle, a content creator with 7.2 million followers who rose to fame on the app in 2022, posted a tearful video mourning the platform.
“I feel like I’m going through heartbreak,” Ms. Earle wrote in one video. “This platform is more than just an app or a job to me. It holds so many memories. I have posted every day for the past six years. I have shared about my friends, family, relationships, Personal struggles and secrets.
Other users spent their final moments on the app recreating the viral dance. The “For You” page is filled with montages of users’ favorite trends and songs, many of which date back to the early days of the pandemic, when the app’s popularity soared.
At 9pm ET on Saturday night, TikTok displayed a pop-up message to U.S. users saying the app would soon stop working.
It said the law would “force us to temporarily be unable to provide services”. TikTok shut down shortly thereafter.
Ms Earl found solace on Saturday night by appearing on rival social media platform Instagram.
“I just didn’t expect something like this to happen this Saturday night,” she said of what happened on TikTok during an Instagram Live broadcast. RedNote, the recently popular Chinese video app, won’t be a long-term replacement, she said.
“We just want to make it more fun, that’s what I think,” she said of Instagram.
On Sunday morning, TikTok’s service suspension notice to U.S. users became a hot topic on Weibo, a popular social media platform similar to X.
“This is the darkest moment in the development of the Internet,” Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of the state-run Global Times, wrote on Weibo. He wrote that the United States had set an example “for the entire Western world” by silencing online voices in the name of national security.
Diao Daming, professor of international relations at Renmin University of China, called TikTok “the first big test that Trump 2.0 must face.” Mr Diao wrote in comments published on state media that Trump’s actions on TikTok could test his relationship with “China hawks” in Washington.
Fu Jiaer Reporting from Seoul. Nico Grant and Tripp Mikel Reporting from San Francisco. David McCabe Reporting from Washington also contributed.
