TikTok went offline in the United States just hours before a new law banning the platform was passed.
A message on the app for U.S. users stated that the law banning TikTok had been enacted, meaning, "You can't use TikTok for now." The message added, "We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office."
This development follows the platform's warning that it would "go dark" on Sunday unless the outgoing Biden administration assured it that the ban would not be enforced.
President-elect Donald Trump has suggested he would "most likely" grant TikTok a 90-day reprieve from the ban after taking office on Monday.
Users have reported that the app is no longer available on Apple and Google's U.S. app stores, while TikTok.com is not displaying videos.
Trump told NBC News on Saturday, "The 90-day extension is something that will most likely be done, because it's appropriate. If I decide to do that, I'll probably announce it on Monday."
The White House said that any action would be up to the incoming administration. Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre commented, "We see no reason for TikTok or other companies to take actions in the next few days before the Trump administration takes office on Monday."
The Supreme Court upheld the law on Friday, requiring TikTok’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, to sell the platform by Sunday, a condition that has not been met.
TikTok has argued that the ban violates free speech protections for its 170 million U.S. users. Following the ruling, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew appealed to Trump, thanking him for his "commitment to work with us to find a solution." Chew is also expected to attend Trump's inauguration on Monday.
Ahead of the shutdown, TikTok content creators posted farewell videos to their followers. Nicole Bloomgarden, a creator, told the BBC that losing TikTok would result in a significant pay cut, while Erika Thompson noted that the loss of educational content would have the greatest impact on the community.
Earlier on Saturday, TikTok displayed a message to users stating, "The law will force us to make our services temporarily unavailable. We're working to restore our service in the U.S. as soon as possible."
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