TikTok building U.S.-only app amid pressure to finalise sale

Anabelle Colaco
08 Jul 2025, 14:10 GMT+10

TikTok is preparing to roll out a separate version of its app for U.S. users, as efforts to secure a sale of its American operations gather pace, according to a report by The Information
The move reflects escalating pressure for a resolution ahead of a White House-imposed deadline
The report, citing unnamed sources, said TikTok is building the new version of its app for release in U.S. app stores by September 5, in anticipation of the planned sale to a group of American investors

CULVER CITY, California: TikTok is preparing to roll out a separate version of its app for U.S. users, as efforts to secure a sale of its American operations gather pace, according to a report by The Information.

The move reflects escalating pressure for a resolution ahead of a White House-imposed deadline.

The report, citing unnamed sources, said TikTok is building the new version of its app for release in U.S. app stores by September 5, in anticipation of the planned sale to a group of American investors.

The development follows U.S. President Donald Trump's remarks late last week that he will begin talks with China this week regarding a possible TikTok deal.

Last month, Trump extended the deadline for China-based ByteDance to divest the U.S. assets of TikTok to September 17.

According to the report, U.S. users will eventually be required to download the new version of the app to continue accessing the platform. The current version is expected to remain functional until March next year, although the timeline could shift.

TikTok did not immediately respond to Reuters' request for comment, so Reuters was unable to independently confirm the report.

Earlier this year, a deal had been in progress to spin off TikTok's U.S. operations into a new entity majority-owned and operated by U.S. investors. That proposal was shelved after China signaled it would block the transaction, following Trump's announcement of sweeping tariffs on Chinese imports.

Trump acknowledged that any agreement involving TikTok would "probably have to get a deal approved by China."