TikTok is not long available in the United States—at least for now. But this is not the only application owned by ByteDance today blocked for users in the United States.
Just before the federally imposed January 19 deadline, TikTok cut off access to anyone trying to access the app from the United States. “A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the United States. Unfortunately, that means you cannot use the TikTok app at this time,” read a blocking screen facing US users when they tried to download the app. “We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us to find a solution to restore TikTok once he takes office!
Similar notices appeared on other apps owned by ByteDance, TikTok's parent company, which is based in China and has been at the center of controversy over a popular video app, at least until Thursday. Seven, there are already 170 million users in the US. Video editing app CapCut, photo and video sharing app Lemon8, and other apps have now shut down in the US.
A federal law passed last year bans ByteDance-owned apps from operating in the US for national security reasons. To protest Chinese laws requiring China-based companies to provide their data to the Chinese government and intelligence agencies, Protect Americans from the Foreign Adversary Controlled Apps Act (PAFACA) requires ByteDance to sell TikTok and its other apps to an entity not based in China by Sunday.
That sale did not happen. As a result, TikTok began blocking users in the United States on Saturday, January 18, ahead of the midnight deadline. Since PAFACA bans all ByteDance-operated apps, not just TikTok, users of its countless other apps face similar restrictions.
PAFACA did not require ByteDance to block users of its app in the United States. Instead, it prohibits any US company from providing any services to “distribute, maintain or update” ByteDance-owned applications. As a result, many of these apps are no longer available on the Apple and Google app stores. However, that could change as soon as Donald Trump takes office on Monday, with the US president-elect saying he plans to extend TikTok's sale deadline by another 90 days. Yes, it's all very confusing.
For now, here's a list of all the apps that US users can no longer access due to the US ban on ByteDance-owned apps.
TikTok, TikTok Studio, TikTok Store Seller, TikTok Lite
Not only TikTok, but other ByteDance-owned apps that work for the TikTok ecosystem are also no longer available along with the main app. These include TikTok Studio (for creators to manage content and check analytics), TikTok Store Seller (for e-commerce sellers on the app to manage their business). business) and TikTok Lite (a smaller and faster version of the original app only available in certain markets). countries).
CapCut
CapCut is a free video editing tool, optimized for vertical videos that can be posted on TikTok. It is often the app of choice for amateur creators due to its professional features. Some creators also use CapCut to produce videos before uploading them to platforms other than TikTok.
lemon8
ByteDance released Lemon8 in February 2023 as a photo-based social networking app. It is known for its breed RedNote, a particularly successful social media application China has also become the destination for many exiled TikTok users this week. Some TikTok users have also chosen to switch to Lemon8, but the app has also gone offline.
Gauth
With Gauth, students can take a photo of their homework and the app will Use artificial intelligence to understand the problem and provide step-by-step solutions. It also has other features that help students study more effectively. According to the application shutdown notification This weekend, it “helped 300 million users answer billions of questions.”
exaggeration
Hypic, launched in 2022, is a photo editing tool that focuses mainly on synthetic AI tools. It uses AI to help users enhance photo quality or turn photos into cartoons.
Lark
Lark is a Slack-like workspace communication app. Initially created to send ByteDance internal messages to employees, it has now become one of the most used office communication apps in China, with millions of active users .
Melolo, Fizzo, MyTopia Books
Poligon, a subsidiary of Singapore-based ByteDance, publishes a number of apps that offer users to watch mini-series (Melolo) or read fantasy novels online (Fizzo and MyTopia Books ). MyTopia Books is the only app that continues to support users in the US and is somehow still available on Apple's US App Store.
Tokopedia
Tokopedia is one of the largest e-commerce platforms in Indonesia. It was acquired by ByteDance in December 2023, merging with TikTok Shop's operations in the country after the Indonesian government banned the latter app, quote “the need to protect the data of users and smaller merchants.”
It is not available on Apple's US App Store but remains available on Google's US Play Store as of publication.