Federal legislation forces TikTok’s removal from Apple and Google app stores, impacting millions of users

As a landmark federal law banning TikTok went into effect on Saturday evening, the app disappeared from Apple and Google app stores, signaling a major escalation in the U.S. government’s battle with the social media platform’s China-based parent company, ByteDance.

By 10:50 PM EST, searches for TikTok on major app stores yielded no results, aligning with the law’s requirement that ByteDance divest its ownership or face an outright ban.

Users attempting to access TikTok during this time were greeted with a stark pop-up message: “A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use TikTok for now.”

This decision marks a significant moment in the ongoing debate over data security, privacy, and international relations.