TikTok could immediately shut its app to millions in the US in days – here's how to prepare

• TikTok could shut its app for US users on Sunday, January 19
• New report suggests TikTok app will show a pop-up ban message
• This would be more drastic and immediate than previously thought

The clock is ticking on TikTok's proposed US ban – and a new report suggests the social media giant is planning to shut the app immediately to its 170 million US users this Sunday, January 19, unless the Supreme Court moves to block the ban.

According to Reuters, TikTok is actually planning to go beyond the actions mandated by law. The ban would only affect new TikTok downloads on iOS and Android, which would mean fans could continue to use existing installs. But it seems TikTok could go further and shut its app completely in the US from Sunday.

How would it do this? According to Reuters' sources, anyone attempting to open the app in the US "will see a pop-up message directing them to a website with information about the ban". Presumably, this will prevent US fans from using the app immediately, which would mean the ban could have a more drastic impact than initially thought.

While the move might sound odd in theory, there is a potential motivation behind it – as Reuters reports, "if the ban gets reversed later, TikTok would be able to restore service for U.S. users in a relatively short time".

So how should you prepare for the imminent TikTok ban? Here's everything you need to know in one handy place.

Is TikTok really getting banned in the US?

Yes. At the time of writing, TikTok will be banned in the US from January 19 – unless the Supreme Court intervenes and declares the ban as unconstitutional.

If that doesn't happen, new users won't be able to install the app in the US, and existing users won't be able to update the app via their phone’s app store. There are also rumors that US users will see a pop-up message in the app from January 19, effectively stopping them from watching videos and directing them to more information on the ban.

This means you'll be unable to access any content in the app, even if you still have it installed unless you use a service like one of the best VPNs to set your location to somewhere outside the US.

Will the TikTok ban get delayed?

We're still waiting for the US Supreme Court ruling on whether or not the TikTok ban should be delayed or allowed to take effect from January 19 – that decision could happen at any time.

The ban takes effect just one day before President-elect Donald Trump is due to be sworn into office. Back in December, Trump urged the US Supreme Court to delay the TikTok ban while he worked on a "political resolution."

Trump wouldn't have the power to overturn the law, but the Department of Justice could also not enforce it. Recently, Senator Edward Markey said he also planned to introduce a bill to delay the TikTok ban deadline.

As things stand, there will be no delay to the TikTok ban, unless the US Supreme Court makes something of a U-turn. Even if the Supreme Court doesn’t pause the ban, Trump could still potentially undo it later, which is perhaps what TikTok's owner ByteDance is now banking on.

How will the TikTok ban affect you?

If recent rumors are true, the TikTok ban could be more immediate and drastic than we initially thought. Initially, it looked like a US ban would simply involve the Apple App Store and Google Play Store blocking downloads in the region, which would have left existing free to continue using it for a time.

However, according to Reuters, TikTok plans to immediately shut the app to all US users from Sunday, January 19, if the ban is upheld. It will apparently do this using a pop-up message in the app.

The report adds that the app's owner, ByteDance, also plans to give you the "option to download all their data so that they can take a record of their personal information."

With TikTok no longer available on app stores, the app wouldn't be able to get updates – which would mean increased bugs and security loopholes that hackers could exploit.

In theory, you may be able to use one of the best VPNs to get around the TikTok ban, although this is far from foolproof – and you may still be presented with a screen saying the app isn't available in the country.

This is why many TikTok users have been looking at alternatives like RedNote – which is, ironically, another Chinese app.

What are the alternatives to TikTok?

With the TikTok ban looming, many #TikTokRefugees are looking to alternatives – even though nothing can exactly take its place.

Rapidly climbing up the App Store charts are RedNote and Lemon8. The problem with the latter is that it's also owned by ByteDance, so it could also be part of the ban conversation.

We've tried RedNote, and while it works in much the same way as TikTok, we also concluded that "there's nothing remotely American about this app or the company running it, Xingi."

The app could be a temporary life-raft, but ultimately, the primary beneficiaries of this mess could be Instagram and YouTube, whose Reels and Shorts features were built to compete with TikTok.

Are Elon Musk or Mr Beast going to buy TikTok?

In the past few days, Bloomberg reported that ByteDance was weighing up a possible sale of TikTok to Elon Musk, but that seems to have now been dismissed as "pure fiction" by the TikTok owner.

Naturally, some more outlandish potential suitors have thrown their hats into the ring. The YouTuber Mr Beast joked "okay fine, I'll buy Tik Tok [sic] so it doesn't get banned," then followed it up with, "unironically I’ve had so many billionaires reach out to me since I tweeted this, let’s see if we can pull this off."

While Mr Beast does have over 100 million followers on TikTok, this does still seem one to file next to the Elon Musk rumors as "highly unlikely."

Then again, it's hard to predict exactly what twists the TikTok ban debacle will take in the coming days.

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