TikTok was taken offline in the United States on Saturday for 170 million users. The app, owned by ByteDance, was pulled from the App Store due to a law requiring the company to divest its US operations or face a ban. In a statement, Apple said it was “obligated to follow the laws in the jurisdictions where it operates,” and has taken down multiple apps developed by ByteDance.
The affected apps include CapCut, an AI-powered video editing service; Lemon8, a photo editing app similar to Instagram; Hypic, a photo editing and AI art tool; Lark, a professional collaboration platform; and Gauth, an AI-driven academic problem-solving app. Marvel Snap, a digital collectible card game published by Nuverse, was also affected.
TikTok’s shutdown came after the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a law requiring ByteDance to divest its US operations. The company is now relying on President-elect Donald Trump to save the app, as he stated on his Truth Social post that he would issue an executive order to extend the period before the law’s prohibitions take effect, allowing for negotiations over national security concerns.
Source: https://www.businessinsider.com/apple-lists-apps-bytedance-removed-alongside-tiktok-us-shutdown-2025-1