TikTok was banned and restored the same weekend. Find out which other ByteDance-owned apps are in limbo below.
Why was TikTok banned in the US?
TikTok was banned in the United States for security reasons. Since a China-based company, ByteDance, owns the popular app, lawmakers were concerned that the Chinese government could allegedly use the app as a means to spy on American citizens and steal their data. It was officially banned on January 19, 2025; However, users were unable to scroll or upload content a day before the ban went into effect. Users received the following message when trying to use the app: “Sorry, TikTok is not available at this time. A law has been passed banning TikTok in the US. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now. We are lucky that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to restore TikTok once he takes office. Stay tuned! In the meantime, you can still log in to download your data.”
Shortly after, TikTok was reinstated and users received a new widespread message that read: “As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the US.” donald trump took to Reality Social to share that he will use the powers of his executive order to: “Extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions go into effect, so we can reach an agreement to protect our national security. “Americans deserve to see our exciting inauguration on Monday, as well as other events and conversations,” according to cnn. The extension will likely last 90 days so a long-term deal can be worked out. Trump hopes to reach a 50-50 joint deal, which would include an American owner, along with the owner of ByteDance.
What other applications does ByteDance have?
Bytedance poses CapCut, Lemon 8, Gauth, Hypic, Lark, Melolo, Fizzo, Tokopedia and Marvel Snap, according to news week.
Was CapCut banned too?
The CapCut editing app is dark, even though TikTok was restored over the weekend. When users try to log in, they receive the following message: “Sorry, CapCut is not available at this time. A law has been passed banning CapCut in the US. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use CapCut for now. Rest assured, we are working to restore our service in the US. Stay tuned! At the moment, the possible return of CapCut is up in the air. Meanwhile, Instagram announced Edits, which is its new editing service.
