TikTok will be "shut down" to its 170 million U.S. users on Sunday after the Supreme Court upheld a law banning the app in the United States.
In April, U.S. President Joe Biden signed a law requiring TikTok, owned by Chinese company ByteDance, to sell the popular social media platform to a U.S. company over concerns that China's involvement poses a national security threat. And faced closure.
TikTok said in a statement on Friday that it would be "forced to shut down" on January 19 unless the Biden administration provides clearer assurances before a scheduled ban.
So what happens on Sunday, and what does it mean for TikTok and its U.S. users? This is all we know.
TikTok's lawyer, Noel Francisco, told the Supreme Court on Friday that it was his understanding that if shut down, the app would essentially be shut down.
A person familiar with the company's plans told NBC News this week that shutting down the app was a last resort. The Information reported on Tuesday that the app may be shut down ahead of the Supreme Court's ruling, rather than allowing those already using it to continue using it.
In a statement on Friday, TikTok sought to pressure the Biden administration to provide more details about the outgoing president's planned ban.
But the White House said in a statement Friday that the Biden administration believes "actions to implement the law" should be determined by President-elect Donald Trump, who takes office on Monday. However, the White House made clear that Biden believes the platform should operate under U.S. ownership.
The Justice Department also issued a statement on Friday saying it welcomed the Supreme Court's decision to uphold the law.
TikTok, which launched in the United States in 2018, said the two statements "failed to provide necessary clarity and assurance to service providers who are integral to maintaining TikTok's service to more than 170 million Americans." "
It said it would shut down "unless the Biden administration provides an immediate and clear statement that satisfies the most critical service providers' requests and ensures they are not enforced."
In an updated statement on Saturday, the White House dismissed TikTok's threat as a "stunt."
"We see no reason for TikTok or other companies to take action in the days before the Trump administration takes office on Monday," the White House said. "We have made our position clear and direct: Action to implement this law will be taken by the next administration. The current government is responsible, so TikTok and other companies should raise any concerns with them."
There are concerns that the video-sharing platform poses a potential national security risk due to China's involvement in the app.
The Supreme Court upheld the law on Friday, rejecting TikTok's argument that a ban would violate First Amendment free speech. In its ruling, the court said the reasons for enacting the law were "categorically content agnostic," meaning they had nothing to do with restricting certain speech.
Attorney General Merrick Garland said the court's ruling allows "the Department of Justice to prevent the Chinese government from weaponizing TikTok to undermine U.S. national security."
"Autocracy should not have unfettered access to the sensitive data of millions of Americans," Garland said in a statement.
Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco said the court's ruling "focuses on protecting Americans, not restricting free speech."
Many TikTok creators have been directing their followers to other platforms they already use, including YouTube and Instagram.
Instagram chief Adam Mosseri announced on Saturday that users will be able to upload video clips of up to three minutes. The app previously only allowed videos up to 90 seconds long, but the change was made after receiving feedback from creators who wanted to share longer videos.
One of the appeals of TikTok is that it gives users the option to create shorter and longer videos.
"We hope that increasing this limit to three minutes will help you tell the stories you really want to tell," Mosseri said in a video message.
In October, YouTube announced that people could post YouTube Shorts up to three minutes long, calling it "one of the most requested features from creators."
Other Chinese-owned apps are also popular. Singer and songwriter Jaylah Hickmon, who goes by the stage name Doechii, is letting her 2.5 million TikTok followers know they can find her on the RedNote app, which allows users to post short clips and upload images.
However, the app is owned by Shanghai Xingyin Information Technology Company, and government insiders and experts fear it poses a greater threat to national security and privacy than TikTok.
TikTok has also been launching its sister app Lemon8, which allows users to upload photos and videos. The Bytedance-owned app instructs users to log in with a TikTok account and prompts them to follow people they follow on TikTok who have accounts on Lemon8.
Users will then select their interests and what they want to see, and they will be taken to the main feed where they can scroll through videos and photos.
The final say on TikTok's fate appears to be in the hands of President-elect Donald Trump.
Although Trump failed in his first term in trying to ban the platform, he later changed his tune. During the 2024 campaign, Trump joined the app, saying in a video released in June, "I'm going to save TikTok."
On Friday, he issued a cryptic statement on Truth Social and said "everyone must respect" the Supreme Court's ruling. But Trump said in a Saturday call with NBC News' "Meet the Press" that he would "probably" give TikTok a 90-day extension.
TikTok CEO Shou Chew is expected to attend Trump's inauguration on Monday and will sit with other tech executives. In a video on Friday, Zhou thanked Trump for his "commitment to working with us to find solutions that will keep TikTok available in the United States."
Yes, TikTok can still be sold, but ByteDance has repeatedly said it has no plans to do so.
There have been some serious takeover offers, including from billionaire and real estate tycoon Frank McCourt.
McCourt and his Internet advocacy group, Project Liberty, announced on January 9 that they had submitted a proposal to purchase the site. "Shark Tank" investor Kevin O'Leary has also joined the effort.
Former Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said last year that he was forming an investor group to acquire TikTok, CNBC reported.
Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and businessman and YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson, known online as MrBeast, have also expressed interest in buying the app.