TikTok is back online!
TikTok has confirmed it’s working to restore the app while thanking President-elect Trump for intervening as the social media platform shows the first signs of recovery following its dramatic shutdown.
In an official statement, the social media app said: ‘In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service.’
The company specifically credited Trump for providing ‘necessary clarity and assurance’ to service providers that they won’t face penalties for keeping the platform available to its American user base.
‘TikTok is in the process of restoring service,’ the statement read. ‘We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive.’
‘It’s a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States.’
TikTok appears to be ‘back online’ after some users report regaining access to the social media platform – with limited functionality – after the app went dark early Sunday.
Some users report now being able to view their own profiles while they are still unable to upload new content.
The exact number of users who have regained access is unclear.
Scott Sutton, CEO of Later Media, confirmed the partial restoration on X (formerly Twitter): ‘TikTok is back up and working on desktop! Seems services are slowly coming back online.’
Minutes later, Sutton noted the limitation of the app.
‘TikTok app access is back, but no content other than mine loading, and all engagement history on posts is missing.’
The development comes after the popular social media app went dark for 170 million Americans after the Supreme Court allowed a nationwide ban to take effect early Sunday.
President-elect Donald Trump offered a hope to devastated TikTok users, announcing he will sign an executive order on Monday to delay the ban on the popular app – just hours after it went dark for millions of Americans.
The ban comes after Congress passed legislation requiring Chinese parent company ByteDance to sell its stakes by January 19, 2025.
With no deal materializing, the platform’s fate now hangs in the balance, affecting some 170 million American users.
The Supreme Court’s ruling affirmed that the ban does not violate users’ First Amendment rights.
But skeptical users are now accusing the shutdown of being a calculated political ‘stunt’ to make Trump ‘look good.’
The dramatic restoration announcement has sparked fierce backlash on social media.
‘This is a stunt and was all along,’ one user wrote.
‘This will obviously work as well because I genuinely think some people aren’t actually informed and didn’t know Trump was planning to do this since last week.’
Users continued questioning whether the platform-wide blackout was orchestrated to boost Trump’s image.
One wrote: ‘This was all a stunt to make Trump look good.’
‘So it really was all a ploy for his “I saved the day moment,”‘ added another.
The platform has become a cultural phenomenon and career launcher for countless content creators.
TikTok influencers across the US have filmed themselves breaking down in hysteria as the Supreme Court-backed ban took effect, with many mourning the loss of their platform and livelihood.
The app went dark for 170 million Americans after the Supreme Court allowed a nationwide ban to take effect early Sunday.
The shutdown has spurred waves of emotional reactions online, with many influencers sharing tearful videos of them breaking down while mourning the loss of their careers and connections to millions of followers.
