Maybe third time's the charm? President Donald Trump said he'll "probably" extend Tiktok's sale deadline a third 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.
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, didn't 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, 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 must remove an app from their stores or face civil penalties. That means you won't be able to download the app to your device, and 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
However, before Trump extended the sale deadline in January, TikTok took itself offline in the US for about 14 hours so that no one in the US could access it. So if a sale isn't reached and Trump doesn't extend the sale's deadline, it's possible the app will fully shut itself down.
... continue reading