• Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution: TikTok
• The 90-day extension will most likely happen, says the newly elected president.
• The White House says it’s up to the incoming administration to take action.

WASHINGTON: TikTok stopped working in the United States late Saturday and disappeared from Apple and Google’s app stores ahead of a law that takes effect Sunday that would require the shutdown of the app used by 170 million Americans.

President-elect Donald Trump said earlier in the day that he would “most likely” grant TikTok a 90-day reprieve from the ban after he takes office on Monday, a promise that TikTok cited in a notice to users of the app.

TikTok, which is owned by China’s ByteDance, told users who tried to use the app around 10:45 PM ET (0345 GMT): “A law banning TikTok has been passed 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 reinstate TikTok when he takes office.

Other apps owned by ByteDance, including video editing app Capcut and social lifestyle app Lemon8, were also offline and unavailable in US app stores late Saturday.

“The 90-day extension is something that will most likely be done because it’s appropriate,” Trump said NBC. “If I decide to do it, I’ll probably announce it on Monday.”

It wasn’t clear if any US users could still access the app, but it no longer worked for many users, and people who tried to access it through a web application were met with the same message that TikTok could not longer worked.

TikTok, which has captivated nearly half of all Americans, fueled small businesses and shaped online culture, warned Friday that the U.S. would go dark on Sunday unless President Joe Biden’s administration provides assurances to companies like Apple and Google that , that they will not face enforcement action when a ban comes into effect.

Under a law passed last year and upheld Friday by a unanimous Supreme Court, the platform has until Sunday to sever ties with its China-based parent company ByteDance or close its U.S. operation to address concerns that it constitutes a threat to national security.

The White House reiterated on Saturday that it was up to the incoming administration to act.

“We see no reason for TikTok or other companies to take action in the next few days before the Trump administration takes office on Monday,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

TikTok did not respond to a request for comment on the new statement from the White House.

The Chinese embassy in Washington said Friday that the United States used unfair state power to suppress TikTok. “China will take all necessary measures to resolutely protect its legitimate rights and interests,” a spokesman said.

Users move to alternatives

Uncertainty over the app’s future had sent users – mostly younger people – heading for alternatives, including China-based RedNote. Rivals Meta and Snap had also seen their shares rise this month ahead of the ban as investors bet on an influx of users and ad dollars.

“This is my new home now,” one user wrote in a RedNote post, tagged with the words “tiktokrefugee” and “sad.”

Minutes after TikTok’s US shutdown, other users took to X, formerly called Twitter.

“I really didn’t think they would cut off TikTok. Now I’m sad and I miss the friends I made there. Hope it all comes back in just a few days,” wrote @RavenclawJedi.

Marketing firms that rely on TikTok have rushed to draw up contingency plans this week in what one executive described as a “hair on fire” moment after months of conventional wisdom that said a solution would materialize to keep app running.

There have been signs that TikTok could make a comeback under Trump, who has said he wants to pursue a “political solution” to the issue and last month called on the Supreme Court to halt implementation of the ban.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew plans to attend the US presidential inauguration and attend a meeting with Trump on Sunday, a source said Reuters.

Suitors, including former Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt, have expressed interest in the fast-growing business, which analysts estimate could be worth as much as $50 billion. Media reports say Beijing has also held talks to sell TikTok’s US operations to billionaire and Trump ally Elon Musk, although the company has denied that.

US search engine startup Perplexity AI submitted a bid to ByteDance for Perplexity to merge with TikTok US on Saturday, a source familiar with the company’s plans said. Reuters. Perplexity would merge with TikTok US and create a new entity by combining the merged company with other partners, the person added.

Privately held ByteDance is about 60% owned by institutional investors such as BlackRock and General Atlantic, while its founders and employees own 20% each. It has more than 7,000 employees in the United States.