TikTok is preparing a standalone version of its platform specifically for users in the United States, part of an urgent effort to comply with federal law requiring that the app’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance, divest its U.S. operations or face a nationwide ban.
According to The Information, a technology publication citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter, TikTok plans to launch the new version in American app stores by September 5. The current version of the app would be phased out entirely by March 2026 if a sale is completed.
The move is seen as a step toward preserving TikTok’s massive U.S. user base while complying with mounting legal and political pressure.
The development comes amid renewed efforts by the Trump administration to enforce a law signed by former President Joe Biden and upheld by the Supreme Court that mandates ByteDance sell TikTok’s U.S. assets to non-Chinese owners.
The law was passed with bipartisan support last year over concerns that the Chinese government could access sensitive data about American users. ByteDance and TikTok have repeatedly denied any such data sharing has taken place.
President Donald Trump, who returned to office in January, has granted three extensions to the law’s enforcement. The most recent, announced in June, pushes the deadline to September 17.
Speaking to Fox News last week, Trump said a group of “very wealthy people” is preparing to purchase the platform and promised to disclose the names of the prospective buyers in the coming weeks.
TikTok’s operations in the U.S. were briefly suspended around the initial January 19 deadline, just one day before Trump’s inauguration. After assuming office, Trump issued a stay of the law — an action some legal experts viewed as exceeding presidential authority — allowing the app to resume service. Since then, the White House has twice postponed the deadline as negotiations continue.
In a statement following the latest extension, TikTok expressed appreciation for the administration’s stance. “We are grateful for President Trump’s leadership and support in ensuring that TikTok continues to be available for more than 170 million American users and 7.5 million U.S. businesses that rely on the platform as we continue to work with Vice President Vance’s Office,” the company said.
While TikTok’s U.S.-specific version may provide a technical workaround in the short term, it does not eliminate the underlying legal and diplomatic challenges. Lawmakers backing the sale have maintained that even the possibility of Chinese government access to user data poses an unacceptable risk.
With less than three months remaining before the latest deadline, the future of TikTok in the U.S. remains uncertain. Whether a sale can be finalized, and whether it will meet the requirements of both American regulators and the Chinese government, are questions that remain unresolved. For now, TikTok continues to operate, but under intensifying scrutiny and a narrowing window for resolution.
