TikTok is no longer available in the United States—at least for now. But it’s not the only ByteDance-owned app that’s currently blocked for US-based users.
Shortly before the federally mandated January 19 deadline, TikTok cut off access to anyone attempting to access the app from the US. “A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the US. Unfortunately, that means you can’t use the TikTok app for now,” reads a block-screen confronting US users when they attempt to load the app. “We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office. Please stay tuned!”
Similar notifications appear on other apps owned by ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, which is based in China and sits at the core of the controversy over a popular video app that, at least until Saturday, had 170 million users in the US. Video-editing app CapCut, photo- and video-sharing app Lemon8, and others have now gone dark in the US.
A federal law passed last year bans ByteDance-owned apps from operating in the US on national security grounds. In reaction to Chinese laws that demand China-based companies provide their data to the Chinese government and intelligence agencies, the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA) required 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 US-based users on Saturday, January 18, ahead of the midnight deadline. Because PAFACA bans all apps operated by ByteDance, not just TikTok, users of its myriad other apps are meeting the same restrictions.
PAFACA does not require ByteDance to block US-based users of its apps. Instead, it prohibits any US company from providing any service to “distribute, maintain or update” ByteDance-owned apps. As a result, many of these apps are no longer available in Apple and Google’s app stores. That may change soon after Donald Trump takes office on Monday, however, with the US president-elect indicating that he plans to extend the deadline for a sale of TikTok by 90 days. Yes, it is all very confusing.
For now, here’s the rundown of all the apps US users can no longer access due to the US ban on ByteDance-owned apps.
TikTok, TikTok Studio, TikTok Shop Seller, TikTok Lite
Not just TikTok, but other ByteDance-owned apps that work for the TikTok ecosystem have also become unavailable along with the main app. These include TikTok Studio (for creators to manage content and check analytics), TikTok Shop Seller (for ecommerce sellers on the app to manage their business operations), and TikTok Lite (a smaller and faster version of the original app that’s only available in certain 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 first produce videos before uploading them to platforms other than TikTok.
Lemon8
ByteDance released Lemon8 in February 2023 as a photo-based social media app. It is known for resembling RedNote, a particularly successful social media app in China that has also become the destination for many TikTok users in exile this week. Some TikTok users had also chosen to migrate to Lemon8, but the app has also gone offline.
Gauth
With Gauth, students can take pictures 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 be more productive while studying. According to the app’s shutdown announcement this weekend, it has “helped 300 million users with billions of questions.”
Hypic
Hypic, launched in 2022, is a photo-editing tool with a heavy focus on generative AI tools. It uses AI to help users enhance photo quality or transform a photo into a cartoon.
Lark
Lark is a Slack-like workspace communications app. Originally created for ByteDance’s own internal messages among employees, it has now become one of the most-used office communications apps in China, with several million active users.
Melolo, Fizzo, MyTopia Books
Poligon, a Singapore-based subsidiary of ByteDance, publishes several apps that allow users to watch short vertical dramas (Melolo) or read online fiction novels (Fizzo and MyTopia Books). MyTopia Books is the only one of those apps that did not end support for US-based users, and somehow remains available on Apple’s US App Store.
Tokopedia
Tokopedia is one of Indonesia’s largest ecommerce platforms. It was acquired by ByteDance in December 2023 and merged with TikTok Shop’s operation in the country after the Indonesian government banned the latter app, citing “the need to protect smaller merchants and users’ data.”
It has become unavailable on Apple’s US App Store but remains available on Google’s US Play Store as of publication.
Source : Wired
