TikTok began restoring service for United States users after a brief, voluntary shutdown that lasted less than a day.
The shutdown came as ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese parent company, faced a legal deadline to divest from the app or face a ban in the US.
The company began restoring access on Sunday, citing reassurances from President-elect Donald Trump.
"We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive. It’s a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States," Tiktok said in a statement.
The voluntary shutdown occurred late Saturday night, just hours before a legal deadline set by a new U.S. law. This law, upheld by the Supreme Court on Friday, required ByteDance to divest from TikTok by January 19 or face a ban from U.S. app stores and hosting services. The court rejected TikTok’s appeal, agreeing with the government’s concerns about potential misuse of the app to collect sensitive information on Americans.
On Saturday, U.S. users attempting to access TikTok were greeted with the message:
"Sorry, TikTok isn’t available right now. 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!"
The app was also removed from Apple’s App Store and Google Play.
President-elect Trump vowed to intervene, announcing on social media that he would issue an executive order on Monday to extend the compliance deadline and protect service providers from penalties.
"Americans deserve to see our exciting Inauguration on Monday, as well as other events and conversations," Trump wrote.
"I would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture. By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands, and allow it to stay up. Without U.S. approval, there is no TikTok. With our approval, it is worth hundreds of billions of dollars — maybe trillions," he added.
Incoming national security adviser Mike Waltz addressed the issue on CBS’s "Face the Nation," stating that Trump had discussed potential solutions with Chinese President Xi Jinping.
"We can have an app that protects Americans. I wouldn’t want the FBI or the U.S. government monitoring every keystroke or seeing every password, nor would we want the Chinese Communist Party. But we also want an app that 170 million Americans clearly enjoy," Waltz stated.
Meanwhile, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre downplayed the shutdown, describing it as a "stunt".
"We see no reason for TikTok or other companies to take actions in the next few days before the Trump Administration takes office on Monday."
Throughout the shutdown, TikTok remained fully accessible to international users. American accounts, however, were temporarily offline until Sunday’s restoration efforts began.
