TikTok builds new US app version ahead of planned sale
Social media giant TikTok will launch a new version of its popular app to Apple's and Google's app stores on September 5, as part of an agreement to sell its US business looms.
US users of TikTok will see a new version of the app starting September 5, 2025.
Users of TikTok in the US will eventually need to migrate to the new version of the app, though the company reports that the present version is expected to work until March 2026. The unusual update will enable the new app to address US security concerns, and allow the new owners of the US version to take control.
A consortium of non-Chinese tech firms are expected to buy TikTok's US operations. Among those involved in the deal is US-based firm Oracle, though original owner Bytedance will retain a minority interest, according to The Information.
Users in the United States will be required to install the new version of the app in order to continue accessing the service. The current US version will stop working in March 2026 if they do not update.
The dilemma for the Chinese-owned social service originally came during the later days of the Biden administration. Acting on concerns about US user data being stored, Congress passed a law requiring Bytedance either sell TikTok or face a US ban of the app and its service.
The new administration is taking credit for putting together a deal to sell TikTok's US operations to an investor group.
The Chinese government will also have to give its approval before the sale is final. This condition could prove to be a troublesome sticking point, depending on details in the sale agreement.
Deal to secure US TikTok user data
Acting on concerns about US user data security from the White House, Congress passed a law requiring either the sale or removal of TikTok in the US. Due to the laws in China, data stored on servers in that country can be requested by the Chinese government -- which raised concerns about user security.
TikTok attempted to address these concerns by arranging for US data from TikTok to be stored on Oracle servers in the US. President Trump has delayed enforcement of his executive order banning TikTok three times in order to allow time for the current deal to be finalized.
TikTok briefly went offline in the US in January due to fears of non-compliance with the administration's order. Service was quickly restored following the president's delay of enforcement.
US users may see some glitches as the US version of the service transitions.
The next deadline for the US to enforce the ban comes on September 17. The new version of TikTok in the US is expected to launch shortly before that date.
The US Department of Justice has already sent letters to both Apple and Google, assuring the US-based tech firms that they will not be held liable for continuing to host the TikTok app on their servers now or going forward, as long as progress on the sale is being made.
An unpredictable transition
Critics of the deal have pointed to a lack of clear evidence that Chinese authorities were leveraging US user data from Bytedance, though the US says China's laws allow for the government there to examine any and all user data stored in China.
On the day of the launch of the new US-exclusive version, the existing TikTok app will be removed from the Apple and Google US app stores. Users attempting to launch their present version may instead be directed to update the app, which will replace the current version with the new app.
It's not clear if an all-new US version of TikTok was required by the present US administration or if this was a condition of the investors to secure government approval of the deal.
There could also be some technical challenges in moving the estimated 170 million US users of TikTok and their profiles to new US-based servers. Doing so could result in some service disruptions.
The formal announcement of a deal will likely be made only when the consortium is able to gain the approval of both the US and Chinese governments. The current tensions between the US and China over tariffs could cause further issues to arise as the deadline nears.
TikTok has not responded to requests for comment.
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Comments
same applies on all date stored in the US
except here the data is sold to data brokers, and the government gets it from there
so ,on paper at least, they are not asking the social media companies directly for your data
i personally would much prefer the chinese having my data than the americans, since i live in the US
US government can cause me a lot more pain while living here
than the chinese can
the whole beauty of tiktok was it was different content than the American social media companies
if this is a US tiktok, whats the point?