It's deja vu. The federal ban on the popular social media app TikTok is set to go into effect on Thursday, June 19, after President Donald Trump extended the deadline a second time. He signed an executive order in April, giving the app 75 days to sell itself to an approved buyer after he signed a similar order in January. TikTok went dark for a short period in the US in January before that deadline extension was announced.
Some outlets are reporting that Trump plans on issuing yet another extension. The New York Post and the Wall Street Journal published stories earlier this month citing anonymous sources who said Trump planned to extend the deadline a third time.
The sale of TikTok would allow the app to continue operating in the US. Former President Joe Biden signed a law in 2024 that effectively banned the app in the US if TikTok's China-based parent company, ByteDance, did not sell the app to an approved buyer by January.
Several bidders have voiced interest in purchasing the app. According to a Reuters report from March, Trump said a deal would be struck before the April deadline, but that deal never materialized. Trump also said at the time he'd consider reducing tariffs on Chinese goods if that country's leaders agreed to a sale of the app.
If the app isn't sold by Thursday, here's what US TikTokkers should expect.
Will I be able to download TikTok to my phone?
Under the law, app stores run by companies such as Apple and Google will have to remove the app from their stores or face civil penalties. That means you won't be able to download the app to your device, and it also means ByteDance won't be able to issue updates to the app.
Will I still be able to access TikTok if I already have it?
If you already have the app downloaded to your device, yes. The law doesn't make it illegal to have the app on your phone. Since app stores won't be able to distribute updates to the app after the law goes into effect, your experience with the app may degrade over time and even become insecure. It's unclear how long the app will work on your device without regular updates.
Viva Tung/CNET
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