Stay informed with free updates

Simply sign up Technology sector myFT Digest – delivered straight to your inbox.

TikTok went dark for its 170 million American users, as a law requiring Chinese parent company ByteDance to either sell its stake in the app or face a ban took effect overnight.

In a pop-up that appeared on the short-form video app before the midnight deadline, the company wrote: “A law has been enacted banning TikTok in the United States. Unfortunately, this means you can’t use TikTok at the moment.

She added: “We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to bring TikTok back once he takes office. Please stay tuned!

Otherwise, users in the United States, one of its largest markets, would not have been able to access TikTok’s video feed. The app also no longer appears in the Apple and Google app stores.

Other ByteDance-owned apps, including video editing app CapCut and social media app Lemon8, displayed similar messages and were also not available in app stores.

The US Supreme Court on Friday upheld a law passed by Congress last year requiring ByteDance to sell the platform or face a nationwide ban on Sunday, driven by concerns that Beijing might use the platform to spy or spread propaganda. Tik Tok He denied that Chinese government It has no effect on the application.

President-elect Donald Trump said Saturday that he “most likely” will issue a 90-day extension of the deadline when he arrives at the White House on Monday.

However, as of midnight, companies like Apple, Google, and Oracle were banned from providing services to distribute or host the video app, or face fines of $5,000 per user. With the app now blacked out, this suggests they decided the risks associated with violating the law between the midnight deadline and Trump’s inauguration on Monday were too high. Apple, Google and Oracle did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Late Friday, TikTok said that statements from the White House as well as from the Department of Justice “failed to provide the necessary clarity and assurance to service providers that are integral to maintaining the availability of TikTok” in the United States, without a “definitive statement to satisfy providers.” Most Important Services To ensure that TikTok is not implemented, it will be forced to stop working on January 19.

“There is no reason for TikTok or other companies to take action in the next few days before the Trump administration takes office on Monday,” White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Saturday in a statement.

The shutdown caps a week in which executives at TikTok and ByteDance tried to devise a plan to avoid a shutdown, according to several people familiar with the matter.

Trump said on Friday that he spoke to President Xi Jinping and discussed TikTok with the Chinese leader. Chinese state media said the two leaders spoke, but did not specify whether TikTok was part of the conversation.

TikTok said a breakup was not technologically feasible in the time frame, while Beijing has previously indicated it would oppose any sale.

Instead, the company pinned its hopes on Trump, who promised during his election campaign to “save” TikTok. The president-elect’s interest in the app comes in part after he used the platform during last year’s election campaign to connect with young voters.

The uncertainty has led influencers to mourn the loss of the app and direct their followers to competitors like Meta’s Instagram. It also caused chaos within the company itself. In the days before the ban, the company was quick to reassure American employees that they would still have jobs and continue to get paid even if the app was shut down, according to three people familiar with the situation.

At the same time, marketers are shifting advertising spending away from… platform. One media buyer said they had paused all their spending on the platform in the US. However, the person said TikTok still encourages them to spend their budget on the platform in other markets.

“It’s very chaotic, and although people were not surprised, it was impossible to plan,” said the head of another large advertising agency.

Additional reporting from Zijing Wu in Hong Kong