TikTok is Reportedly Working on Separate US App Ahead of Possible Sale

TikTok owner ByteDance is reportedly working on a new version of the app for US customers that could be released in September ahead of the expiration of the divest-or-ban enforcement deadline. A new report from The Information (via The Verge) reveals that the standalone app for US customers is being developed as the Trump administration is getting closer to its goal of having the US operations of TikTok sold to a group of non-Chinese investors that could include Oracle.

On January 19, TikTok briefly went dark in the US as the bipartisan law that banned the app in the US over national security risks came into effect. However, the Trump administration delayed the national ban three times to give ByteDance more chances to either divest the app or shut down its US operations.

In recent months, multiple companies have offered to purchase TikTok, including Oracle and Amazon, but the ongoing tariff dispute between the US and China has made these negotiations difficult. A deal with US investors would still need to be approved by the Chinese government, and that’s still not guaranteed.

Anyway, The Information believes that TikTok’s new app for US customers will be coming to mobile app stores on September 5. It’s currently set to replace the existing app in the US, which is also expected to stop working in the country early next year.