American users are met with a message in the app: "Tiktok is not available right now".
"A law banning Tiktok has been adopted in the USA", it further states in the message, which continues hopefully:
"We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to restore Tiktok when he takes office", the message continues.
The popular app is no longer available for download either.
Espionage allegations
The US Supreme Court approved the proposal to ban Tiktok in the country on Friday due to security concerns surrounding the platform's ties to China. A deadline for Chinese Bytedance to sell the platform to a US owner expires on Sunday.
The background is that Tiktok is accused of giving China an opportunity to spy on American users and collect information about them. The USA also believes that Tiktok is a channel for spreading propaganda, which Bytedance has denied.
Tiktok warned as early as Saturday that the app may be shut down in the USA if President Joe Biden does not clarify its future in the country.
Trump considers extension
However, the outgoing President Joe Biden's administration has announced that the implementation of the law will be left to Donald Trump, considering that he takes over as President on Monday.
Trump said in an interview with NBC News on Saturday that he is considering giving Tiktok a 90-day extension that would allow them to continue their operations. The President can grant such an extension provided that a sales process is underway.
AI company Perplexity AI is said to have contacted Bytedance on Saturday and proposed a merger with Tiktok's American division, reports AP citing a source.
The new corporate structure would enable most of Bytedance's current investors to retain their ownership shares, according to a source familiar with the matter.
