“Sorry, TikTok is currently unavailable,” the message read.
Hours before a federal law banning TikTok from the United States was set to take effect on Sunday, the Chinese-owned social media app went dark and American users were no longer able to access videos on the platform. Instead, the app greeted them with a message saying, “A law has been issued banning TikTok.”
“We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated he will work with us on a resolution,” the message said. “Please stay informed!”
TikTok also appeared to have been removed from Apple and Google's US app stores, some users said. TikTok's sister app, Lemon8, also stopped working, showing US users a message saying it was “currently unavailable.” Both TikTok and Lemon8 are owned by ByteDance, a Chinese internet giant.
TikTok became unavailable after the Supreme Court on Friday upheld the law, which orders ByteDance to sell the app by Sunday or face a ban. The law was overwhelmingly passed by Congress last year and signed by President Biden. TikTok, which has faced national security concerns because of its Chinese ties, had thought it could win the legal challenge to the law, but failed.
The blackout capped a chaotic stretch for TikTok, which had begged both the Biden administration and President-elect Donald J. Trump at the last minute for a way out of the law. Until Saturday evening, no one – including the US government – was quite sure what would happen to it if the law went into effect. The United States has never blocked an app used by tens of millions of Americans overnight.
The law includes a provision to punish app store operators such as Apple and Google and internet hosting companies such as Oracle for distributing or maintaining the TikTok app. Under the law, these companies face fines of up to $5,000 per user accessing the app.
Google, Apple and Oracle did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
The developments are a major blow for TikTok and ByteDance. TikTok has about 170 million U.S. users, who are among the app's most lucrative customers. In legal filings, TikTok has said that even a temporary disappearance could hinder this, with users and creators leaving for other platforms and never returning even if a ban were lifted.
The situation was further complicated by the fact that the law's start date fell in the final days of Mr. Biden's presidency. A White House spokeswoman suggested on Saturday that the Biden administration would not start imposing fines on companies on Sunday.
“We see no reason for TikTok or other companies to take action in the coming days before the Trump administration takes office on Monday,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement. “We have set out our position clearly and distinctly: actions to implement this law will be the job of the next administration.”
Trump said on Saturday that he would “most likely” find a way to give TikTok a 90-day extension once he takes office on Monday. The law only gives the president the ability to extend the deadline for a sale if there is “significant progress” toward a deal that would put TikTok in the hands of a non-Chinese owner. It was not clear how that extension would work if the ban had already gone into effect.
Mr. Trump has also indicated he could sign an executive order to sidestep the ban on the app.
The mood on TikTok was somber on Saturday. Alix Earle, a content creator with 7.2 million followers who rose to fame on the app in 2022, posted tearful videos mourning the platform.
“I feel like I'm going through heartbreak,” Ms. Earle wrote in a video. “For me, this platform is more than an app or a job. I have so many memories here. I have posted every day for the past six years of my life. I have shared my friends, family, relationships, personal problems and secrets.”
Ms Earle added that she “denied” the ban.
Other users spent their final moments mimicking viral dances. The “For You” page was filled with montages of users' favorite trends and songs, many dating back to the early days of the pandemic, when the app soared in popularity.
On Saturday night at 9pm Eastern, TikTok showed US users a pop-up message saying the app would soon stop working.
It said the law would “force us to temporarily make our services unavailable.”
Late Saturday night, Ms. Earle was streamed live via Instagram. “I just didn't expect that before this Saturday night,” she said of TikTok's sudden closure. She said RedNote, a Chinese video app that has become popular in recent days, would not become a long-term replacement.
“We just need to make it a little more fun here, that's what I think,” she said on Instagram.
On Sunday morning in China, TikTok's notification to American users that the service would be suspended was a trending topic on Weibo, a popular social media platform similar to X.
“This is a dark moment in the development of the Internet,” Hu Xijin, former editor-in-chief of the state-run Global Times, wrote on Weibo. The United States had set an example for “the entire Western world” to silence voices online in the name of national security, he wrote.
Diao Daming, a professor of international relations at Renmin University of China, called TikTok “the first major test that Trump 2.0 will face.” Mr. Trump's actions on TikTok could test his relationship with “China hawks” in Washington, Mr. Diao wrote in a commentary published on state media.
Claire Fu contributed reporting from Seoul.
