The social media app TikTok was unavailable on app stores in the United States early Sunday morning, as a U.S. ban was expected to take effect.
“TikTok and ByteDance Ltd. apps are no longer available in the United States, and visitors to the United States might have limited access to features,” Apple said in a support update.
Results for the app were also unavailable on the Samsung Galaxy Store and Google Play Store, where users were given a message saying, “Downloads of this app are paused due to current US legal requirements.”
The platform had become unavailable for some users Saturday evening, just ahead of a U.S. ban, with a popup message saying, “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 alert said.
Of the 170 million users in the United States, it wasn’t immediately clear how many still were able to use the platform late Saturday night or Sunday morning.
The Supreme Court on Friday upheld a law set to ban TikTok unless the platform severs ties with China-based parent company ByteDance by Sunday.
The Biden administration said it wouldn’t enforce the ban before Donald Trump takes office on Monday, but the social media company said it needed more “definitive” assurance from the federal government to stay online.
White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called TikTok’s demand “a stunt” earlier in the day on Saturday.
We see no reason for TikTok or other companies to take actions in the next few days before the Trump administration takes office,” Jean-Pierre said.
Trump told ABC News in an interview Saturday he is likely to grant TikTok a 90-day extension to avoid a ban in the United States.
As of Saturday night, the app was also no longer available for new users to download to their devices. Apple in its support update said users who already installed ByteDance apps will be able to keep them on their device.
“But they can’t be redownloaded if deleted or restored if you move to a new device,” Apple said. “In-app purchases and new subscriptions are no longer possible.”
The company’s apps — which include TikTok Studio, TikTok Shop Seller Center, CapCut, Lemon8 and Hypic — will no longer be updated on Apple users’ devices. And some “some app functions might become limited or stop working since the app can’t receive updates,” Apple said.
The apps remain in Apple stores in all other countries and regions where they had been available, but users who visit the U.S. will be unable to update or download them during their time in the U.S.
After leaving the United States, you’ll have access to all functionality,” Apple said.
Google and Apple did not respond to ABC News‘ repeated requests for comment.
ABC News‘ Rob Hawley contributed to this report.
