TikTok is no longer available in the United States, at least for now. But it's not the only ByteDance app currently blocked for US users.
Shortly before the federal government's January 19 deadline, TikTok cut off access to anyone trying to access the app from the US. “A law has been passed in the US banning TikTok. Unfortunately, this means you won't be able to use the TikTok app for a while,” reads a block screen that US users face when trying to load the app. “We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to restore TikTok once he takes office. Stay tuned!'
Similar notifications appear on other apps owned by TikTok's parent company ByteDance, which is based in China and is at the heart of the controversy over a popular video app that, at least until Saturday, had 170 million users in the U.S. . Video editing app CapCut, photo and video sharing app Lemon8 and others have now gone dark in the US.
A federal law passed last year bans apps owned by ByteDance for national security reasons in the US. In response to Chinese laws requiring China-based companies to provide their data to the Chinese government and intelligence agencies, the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA) required ByteDance to sell TikTok and its other apps to an entity that is not is located in China. by Sunday.
That sale didn't happen. As a result, TikTok began blocking US users on Saturday, January 18, before the midnight deadline. Because PAFACA bans all ByteDance apps, not just TikTok, users of the countless other apps are subject to the same restrictions.
PAFACA does not require ByteDance to block US-based users of its apps. Instead, it prohibits any US company from offering any service to “distribute, maintain or update” apps owned by ByteDance. As a result, many of these apps are no longer available in the Apple and Google app stores. However, that could soon change after Donald Trump takes office on Monday, with the newly elected US president indicating he plans to extend the deadline for TikTok's sale by 90 days. Yes, it's all very confusing.
For now, here's the rundown of all the apps that US users can no longer access due to the US ban on ByteDance-owned apps.
TikTok, TikTok Studio, TikTok Store Seller, TikTok Lite
Not only TikTok, but also other apps from ByteDance that work for the TikTok ecosystem are no longer available along with the main app. These include TikTok Studio (for creators to manage content and monitor analytics), TikTok Shop Seller (for e-commerce sellers on the app to manage their business operations), and TikTok Lite (a smaller and faster version of the original app that only available in certain countries).
KapCut
CapCut is a free video editing tool optimized for vertical videos that can be posted to TikTok. Due to its professional features, it is often the favorite app of amateur makers. Some creators also use CapCut to produce videos first before uploading them to platforms other than TikTok.
Lemon8
ByteDance released Lemon8 in February 2023 as a photo-based social media app. It is known to resemble RedNote, a particularly successful social media app in China that has also become the destination for many TikTok users in exile this week. Some TikTok users had also chosen to migrate to Lemon8, but the app has also gone offline.
Gaut
Gauth allows students to take photos of their homework, and the app will use artificial intelligence to understand the problem and provide step-by-step solutions. It also has other features that help students be more productive while studying. According to the announcement that the app was shutting down this weekend, it has “helped 300 million users with billions of questions.”
Hypical
Launching in 2022, Hypic is a photo editing tool with a strong focus on generative AI tools. It uses AI to help users improve photo quality or turn a photo into a cartoon.
Lark
Lark is a Slack-like communication app for the workspace. Originally created for ByteDance's own internal messaging among employees, it has now become one of the most used office communications apps in China, with several million active users.
Melolo, Fizzo, MyTopia books
Poligon, a Singapore-based subsidiary of ByteDance, publishes several apps that allow users to watch short vertical dramas (Melolo) or read fiction novels online (Fizzo and MyTopia Books). MyTopia Books is the only one of those apps that hasn't ended support for US users and is somehow still available on Apple's US App Store.
Tokopedia
Tokopedia is one of Indonesia's largest e-commerce platforms. It was acquired by ByteDance in December 2023 and merged with TikTok Shop's operations in the country after the Indonesian government banned the latter app, citing “the need to protect the data of smaller sellers and users.”
It is no longer available on Apple's US App Store, but remains available on Google's US Play Store as of publication.
