Apple, Google remove TikTok from stores as app stops service in US

Apple and Google removed TikTok from its app stores on Saturday night, complying with a law requiring China’s ByteDance to divest the social app or face an effective ban in the US

The Apple App Store and Google Play Store’s removal of TikTok means that people in the US can no longer download the popular short-form video app on their devices. The app’s delisting comes after the Supreme Court on Friday unanimously upheld the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversaries Controlled Applications Act, which President Joe Biden signed into law in April. TikTok said Friday that its service would go dark, meaning it would stop working for Americans unless the Biden administration intervened.

On Apple’s App Store, a message saying “App not available” appears on TikTok’s previous app installation page.

“This app is currently not available in your country or region,” the message said.

“We’re sorry, the requested URL was not found on this server,” said a message on the page that previously hosted TikTok on the Google Play Store.

Some users who visited TikTok’s app and website on Saturday were greeted with a message that said: “Sorry, TikTok is not available right now.”

“A law banning TikTok has been passed in the U.S. Unfortunately, this means you can’t use TikTok for now,” the announcement read. “We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok when he takes office. Please stay tuned!”

Lemon8, another service owned by ByteDance, also displayed a message letting users know it was not available in the US. The app had recently moved up the charts and became one of the most popular free apps on iOS.

“Sorry, Lemon8 is not available right now,” the message states.

The law requires service providers to no longer support TikTok in the US if ByteDance could not complete a “qualified divestment” of the app by Sunday. As a result, Apple, Google and Oracle could face stiff penalties for not complying with the law. Apple and Google previously distributed the app through its app stores, while Oracle provides 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 that the use of TikTok is a First Amendment right, adding that over 7 million US businesses use it to make money and find customers.

“Rest assured, we will do everything in our power to ensure that our platform thrives as your online home for limitless creativity and discovery, as well as a source of inspiration and joy for years to come,” Chew said in a TikTok video.

Chew also thanked incoming President Donald Trump, as in the past asked Supreme Court to put the implementation of the law on hold and give his administration “an opportunity to pursue a political resolution of the issues at issue in the case.” Chew is expected to attend Trump’s inauguration in Washington on Monday, along with tech leaders from companies including Meta, AmazonApple and Google.

Trump arrived in Washington on Saturday evening. His transition team did not immediately respond to the TikTok shutdown. Trump said Friday that the Supreme Court’s decision was expected “and everybody has to respect it.”

“My decision on TikTok will be made in the not too distant future, but I need time to review the situation. Stay tuned!” Trump wrote in a post on his social media app Truth Social.

White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre on Saturday acknowledged TikTok’s statement that it would go dark, calling it a “stunt.”

“We have made our position clear and straightforward: actions to implement this law will fall to the next administration,” Jean-Pierre said. “So TikTok and other companies should raise any concerns with them.”

Trump told NBC News on Saturday that he would “most likely” give TikTok a 90-day extension of Sunday’s deadline and that he would “probably announce” a decision on Monday.

“I think that would be an option that we’re looking at,” Trump said in the phone interview. “The 90-day extension is something that will most likely be done because it’s appropriate. You know, it’s appropriate. We have to look at it carefully. It’s a very big situation.”

Artificial intelligence startup Perplexity AI made a bid for TikTok on Saturday that would see the AI-powered search engine startup combine with TikTok’s US operations and new capital partners, CNBC reported.

Businessman Frank McCourt’s internet advocacy group Project Liberty announced on January 9 that it had submitted a proposal to buy TikTok from ByteDance on undisclosed terms. McCourt told CNBC on Friday that “we are, I think, the only bidder” that meets the necessary criteria to separate the technology from the Chinese algorithm.

CLOCK: Congress calls for extension of TikTok ban deadline.