TikTok was banned in the United States this weekend.
But if you blinked, you might have missed it.
TikTokers in the U.S. were confused as the app went offline Saturday night, and then came back the next day.
TikTok had been ordered to shut down in the U.S. on Sunday, Jan. 19.
The night before that, Saturday, Jan. 18, U.S. users saw an error message when they tried to open the app.
“A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the U.S.,” the message read. “Unfortunately, that means you can't use TikTok for now.”
But the message also suggested that the change was temporary:
“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!”
Donald Trump was scheduled to start his new term as U.S. president on Monday, Jan. 20, and there had already been rumours that he would reverse the ban.
While TikTok wasn’t available for U.S. users, those in Canada and other countries continued to post.
On Sunday, Trump took to his social media platform, Truth Social, to say “SAVE TIKTOK!”
Later that day, he continued to voice his support of the app, which is used by more than 170 million Americans.
At a rally on Sunday night, Trump said: “Frankly, we have no choice. We have to save [TikTok].”
A few hours later, TikTok said it was coming back online in the U.S.
“TikTok is in the process of restoring service. We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance,” the company wrote in a statement posted on X. “We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States.”
And just like that, less than 24 hours after it disappeared, TikTok was back for U.S. users.
Although the future of TikTok is still uncertain, Trump said he plans to address the situation soon.
For more on what this might mean for TikTokers in Canada, check out this story about what could happen if the ban takes effect.
