TikTok ban: all the news on the app’s shutdown and return in the US

After briefly going dark in the US to comply with the divest-or-ban law targeting ByteDance that went into effect on January 19th, TikTok quickly came back online. It eventually reappeared in the App Store and Google Play as negotiations between the US and China continued, and Donald Trump continued to sign extensions directing officials not to apply the law’s penalties.

Finally, in mid-December, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew told employees that the agreements to create TikTok USDS Joint Venture LLC, which includes Oracle, Silver Lake, and MGX as part owners, have been signed, and the deal is expected to close on January 22nd, 2026. His letter said that for users in the US, the new joint venture will oversee data protection, the security of a newly-retrained algorithm, content moderation, and the deployment of the US app and platform.

Read on for all the latest news on the TikTok ban law in the US.

• The TikTok US sale is finally happening
• Even the lawmakers behind the TikTok ban have no idea what’s going on
• Larry Ellison’s quest to run the world
• The TikTok deal raises more questions than answers
• Trump signs ‘Saving TikTok’ order to start resolving its big ban problem
• Some details of the TikTok deal have been worked out.
• Trump claims the US is about to get a tremendous fee for taking TikTok out of China
• So… is there a TikTok deal or not?
• Trump extends the TikTok ban enforcement deadline again.
• The China-US deal for TikTok could take another month to work out
• The US and China might finally have a TikTok deal
• The White House just joined TikTok
• Palestine was the problem with TikTok
• Senator proposes calling off the TikTok ban — legally.
• TikTok’s ‘ban’ problem could end soon with a new app and a sale
• Here are the letters that convinced Google and Apple to keep TikTok online
• The TikTok ban is banned, again.
• Trump gives TikTok another ban extension
• Trump says he’d delay the TikTok ban again.
• Trump apparently wants to “just delay” a TikTok deal.
• The US told Apple to keep TikTok in the App Store.
• Trump’s tariffs killed his TikTok deal
• Trump’s TikTok delay is ‘against the law’ top Senate Intelligence Democrat says
• Trump delays TikTok ban again
• ‘TikTok America,’ Amazon, and other rumors about who might buy TikTok
• Trump’s plans to save TikTok may fail to keep it online, Democrats warn
• Perplexity wants to buy TikTok and open-source its algorithm
• Oracle is reportedly in the lead to save TikTok from US ban
• Akamai on TikTok.
• TikTok isn’t out of the woods yet
• TikTok is back in the App Store
• How to get TikTok back on your phone if you deleted it after the ban
• JD Vance, America’s TikTok dealmaker.
• TikTok disappeared from TV app stores, too.
• TikTok now offers its Android app for download outside of Google Play
• Trump orders a ‘sovereign wealth fund’ for the US.
• TikTok traffic is recovering, but it’s still not back in app stores
• Marvel Snap’s developer will bring most publishing duties in-house.
• Marvel Snap is back in the App Store.
• Trump denies working with Oracle and others on a TikTok deal.
• Oracle and Microsoft are reportedly in talks to take over TikTok
• Marvel Snap is coming back to app stores soon, says developer
• TikTok still isn’t in the App Store
• I can’t believe I have to say this.
• The Supreme Court’s TikTok ruling is an ominous turn for online speech
• Substack is spending $20 million to court TikTokers
• Trump is absolutely going to make ByteDance sell TikTok or shut down again.
• Trump says he’s open to Musk or Ellison buying TikTok
• Two lawmakers introduce a bill to repeal the TikTok ban.
• CapCut is back online in the US
• TikTok isn’t back in the App Store yet
• Instagram is reportedly trying to attract TikTok creators with large bonuses
• Marvel Snap is back in the US
• All those kissy-faces at Trump didn’t get TikTok anything.
• Trump signs order refusing to enforce TikTok ban for 75 days
• TikTok’s CEO sat next to Trump’s national intelligence director pick at the inauguration.
• Thanos will soon un-snap Marvel Snap.
• Trump touts his plan to save TikTok during his victory rally
• The TikTok lock-out effect.
• TikTok is back, but where are Marvel Snap, CapCut, and Lemon8?
• TikTok’s service providers still risk billions in penalties for bringing it back online
• Instagram announces a blatant CapCut clone
• Sen. Tom Cotton warns TikTok’s service providers of “ruinous liability” for hosting the app.
• TikTok makes more kissy-faces at Trump.
• One possible reason mobile app stores took TikTok down.
• How to bulk download and save your TikTok videos
• TikTok’s president warns advertisers to expect ‘temporary service instability.’
• TikTok hasn’t returned to the App Store or Google Play just yet.
• TikTok is partially back online in the US, but it’s not back in the App Store yet
• Did TikTok forget to lock Vision Pro owners out of the app?
• TikTok is loading on the web.
• TikTok’s new error message doesn’t mention Trump.
• The TikTok shutdown is locking out non-US users, too
• Trump says he’ll delay TikTok ban, but the platform must be sold
• Apple says it’s following the law by removing TikTok from the App Store
• Marvel Snap is banned, just like TikTok
• TikTok ban and shutdown recap.
• TikTok shuts down in the US
• TikTok warns US users it will be ‘temporarily unavailable’
• Biden White House says TikTok’s threat to go dark is a ‘stunt’
• TikTok says it will go offline on Sunday if Biden doesn’t intervene
• How TikTok backed itself into a corner
• TikTok tells advertisers it’s ‘optimistic about finding the best path forward.’
• The Supreme Court ruled on TikTok — and nobody knows what comes next
• TikTok CEO flatters Trump ahead of US ban deadline
• Supreme Court upholds TikTok ban law
• Trump says he talked to China’s President Xi about TikTok.
• 6 TikTok creators on where they’ll go if the app is banned
• Biden punts the TikTok ban to Trump
• Will RedNote get banned in the US?
• As Americans flock to RedNote, privacy advocates warn about surveillance
• Donald Trump is reportedly considering an executive order to delay the TikTok ban.
• Can Elon Musk really save TikTok?
• RedNote: what it’s like using the Chinese app TikTokers are flocking to
• TikTok is ‘planning for various scenarios’ ahead of possible US ban
• TikTok could get a 270-day extension to make a deal
• The TikTok ban, and what comes next
• Elon Musk may be in the mix to buy TikTok.
• ‘Goodbye to my Chinese spy’ might be the last great TikTok trend
• Chinese social media app RedNote tops App Store chart ahead of TikTok ban
• ‘Nice shot, Mr. President! Can I buy TikTok?’
• TikTok still seems headed for a ban after its Supreme Court arguments
• TikTok has written to creators about tomorrow’s Supreme Court hearing.
• What it will take for TikTok to survive in the US
• The trend machine’s swan song.
• Trump spoke with TikTok’s CEO after asking the Supreme Court to delay the ban.
• Trump asks the Supreme Court to let him rescue TikTok
• Just thinking about TikTok.
• TikTok finally scores a win: the Supreme Court will hear its case
• Civil society groups to SCOTUS: stop the TikTok ban to preserve free speech.
• TikTok CEO meets with Trump as the platform tries to avoid a ban
• Tick tock, TikTok.
• Federal appeals court won’t stop the TikTok ban from taking effect on January 19th.
• The long-shot plan to save TikTok from a US ban
• Apple and Google must prepare to stop distributing TikTok by January 19th, lawmakers warn.
• TikTok failed to save itself with the First Amendment
• TikTok may actually get banned.
• TikTok on verge of ban after losing in court
• Remember the TikTok ban?
• TikTok’s Canadian arm has been ordered to shut down by the government.
• A potential US ban doesn’t seem to be slowing TikTok down.
• TikTok faces a skeptical panel of judges in its existential fight against the US government
• NetChoice’s shadow is looming over the TikTok hearing.
• The government is up in TikTok’s defense hearing.
• “Do you have a First Amendment interest in who owns TikTok?”
• TikTok’s lawyer hints at the government’s secret evidence for wanting to ban the app.
• The TikTok ban hearing is streaming on YouTube.
• TikTok is about to get its day in court
• DOJ is trying to convince a court to let it file classified evidence that TikTok’s lawyers can’t see.
• The DOJ enters its defense of the TikTok ban-or-divest law.
• Donald Trump likes TikTok, not Zuckerberg.
• TikTok makes its First Amendment case
• TikTok is aware of a ‘potential’ exploit being used to take over brand accounts.
• TikTok is reportedly splitting its source code to create a US-only algorithm
• TikTok will have its day in court this fall.
• TikTok is suing the US government — can it beat the ban?
• Eight TikTok creators file their own suit against the divest-or-ban law
• TikTok sues the US government over ban
• CBP is interrogating TikTok employees
• The legal challenges that lie ahead for TikTok — in both the US and China
• What happens to TikTok?
• Patreon weighs in on the potential TikTok ban.
• TikTok doesn’t seem very high on the US / China priority list.
• ByteDance would rather shut TikTok down than sell it, according to Reuters.
• Why the TikTok ban won’t solve the US’s online privacy problems.
• Anyone want to buy TikTok?
• Biden signs TikTok ‘ban’ bill into law, starting the clock for ByteDance to divest it
• Senate passes TikTok ban bill, sending it to President Biden’s desk
• The great conundrum of campaigning on TikTok
• TikTok ‘ban’ passes in the House again, moving to the Senate in foreign aid package
• Apple ordered to remove WhatsApp, Threads, Signal, and Telegram from the App Store in China.
• TikTok’s infamous algorithm and its link to a failed real estate app.
• TikTok divest-or-ban legislation could suddenly be fast-tracked in the Senate
• The president could delay a TikTok ban an extra six months under a reported House proposal.
• TikTok Notes starts rolling out as a new rival to Instagram
• The claims of a “former TikTok employee turned whistleblower.”
• Is TikTok still TikTok without the algorithm?
• What about other Chinese-owned apps?
• Kamala Harris insists “we do not intend to ban TikTok.”
• Senators push to declassify TikTok briefings
• Senators will get a closed door security briefing on TikTok.
• TikTok’s (formerly) favorite congressman is really, really sorry.
• How the House quietly revived the TikTok ban before most of us noticed
• Zoomers are turning on the TikTok famous congressman who voted to ban the app
• Steven Mnuchin is working to create a buyer for TikTok.
• TikTok CEO tells users to “make their voices heard” against a bill that could ban the app in the US.
• If Congress wants to ban TikTok it should probably show us the evidence of Chinese interference.
• Nancy Pelosi is playing TikTok-toe.
• TikTok’s fate now lies with the Senate
• I’ll have what she’s having!
• House passes bill that could ban TikTok
• Donald Trump has even more to say about the TikTok ban.
• Former Activision CEO Bobby Kotick is apparently eyeing TikTok.
• President Biden says he’ll sign a TikTok ban, if passed.
• Republicans ignore Trump criticism, and plan to vote next week on a bill that could ban TikTok.
• Turns out Congress might still want to ban TikTok.
• The TikTokers are revolting.
• TikTok is urging users to call Congress about a looming ban
• Lawmakers introduce bill that would punish app stores for hosting TikTok
• Senators find tech CEOs’ responses hollow after four-hour hearing
• TikTok’s CEO can’t catch a break from xenophobia in Congress
• Rep. Ro Khanna on what it will take for Congress to regulate AI, privacy, and social media
• Iowa sues TikTok for setting its App Store age rating too low
• Judge upholds Texas TikTok ban on state employee devices.
• TikTok’s biggest hits are videos you’ve probably never seen
• Indiana’s lawsuit against TikTok has been dismissed.
• A US judge has blocked Montana’s TikTok ban.
• TikTok is committing €12 billion to data security in Europe.
• TikTok is ‘aggressively removing’ videos promoting an Osama bin Laden manifesto
• Nearly one-third of young adults are regularly getting news from TikTok.
• Social media giants must face child safety lawsuits, judge rules
• The EU is looking into Meta and TikTok’s handling of the Israel-Hamas war
• Judge questions Montana’s ban on TikTok
• VPNs, Verizon, and Instagram Reels: how students are getting around the TikTok ban
• In a bid to please regulators, TikTok opens its first EU data center
• TikTok’s algorithm will be optional in Europe
• TikTok sues Montana over controversial state ban
• Montana TikTok users file lawsuit challenging ban
• Can you even watch this video in Montana?
• Montana bans Telegram, WeChat, and Temu from government devices
• TikTok is now banned in Montana
• TikTok’s head of US trust and safety is leaving
• Republicans demand a ban on lawmakers using TikTok
• Montana state legislature votes to ban TikTok from app stores in the state.
• The TikTok ban is a betrayal of the open internet
• The Vergecast watched the TikTok hearing so you don’t have to.
• HELP.
• Congress seems more determined to ban TikTok than ever
• There are a lot of legitimate criticisms of TikTok, but this hearing is deeply embarrassing.
• #drugs.
• “I don’t think ownership is the issue here.”
• “Any TikTok or ByteDance data that is viewed, stored, or passes through China is subject to the laws of China.”
• We’ve reached a break.
• “It’s our understanding that they’re looking at the eyes.”
• “Unfortunately, we only have four and a half hours with you.”
• CitizenLab to TikTok: stop citing us to claim you’re secure!
• We’re an hour into TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew’s hearing before Congress.
• The TikTok hearing’s first printed-out screenshot!
• “They could get devastatingly incorrect information.”
• “Do you believe TikTok deserves this liability protection under Section 230?”
• “Why would the Chinese government sidestep their own law?”
• Would China even let ByteDance sell TikTok?
• “Is it accurate to say that you are in regular communication with the CEO of ByteDance?”
• “I could talk all day about how TikTok enriches people’s lives.”
• The TikTok hearings start with broadsides on Big Tech.
• We’re on the ground at the TikTok ban hearing.
• TikTok comes to Capitol Hill.
• How to watch this morning’s TikTok ban hearing
• TikTok CEO appears on TikTok to warn users about the TikTok ban
• TikTok now has 150 million monthly active users in the US.
• Get ready, Washington.
• The UK government doesn’t find TikTok to be Tip-Top.
• Biden administration reportedly demanding that TikTok sell or face a ban
• Congress rolls out new bill allowing nationwide TikTok ban
• A GOP plan to ban TikTok nationwide advances out of committee
• Now the European Commission is banning TikTok from staffers’ phones, too.
• Here’s a video of TikTok’s new transparency center.
• TikTok’s transparency theater
• Apple and Google face mounting pressure to remove TikTok from app stores
• TikTok CEO to testify before Congress in March
• Why TikTok’s future has never been so cloudy
• TikTok is now banned on mobile devices issued by US House of Representatives
• TikTok’s parent company accessed the data of US journalists
• Marco Rubio pushes TikTok ban in Congress
• TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew explains how US data will be kept out of China
• Is TikTok’s time running out?
• TikTok to provide researchers with more transparency as damaging reports mount
• TikTok’s security chief steps down as company moves US data to Oracle servers
• TikTok assures Republicans it’s working to protect US data security