TikTok is reportedly working on a new app version ahead of its planned US sale
As a US divestment is getting closer, social media giant TikTok is said to be working on a different version of its app.
A story from The Information on Sunday, citing unnamed sources, said that TikTok is working on a new version of its app just for people in the US. This is part of the company’s plans to sell to a group of American investors.
The story comes just a few days after US President Donald Trump said that talks with China about the future of TikTok would start on Monday or Tuesday. Trump said that a deal was “pretty much” made to sell the famous platform for short videos.
A story says that TikTok plans to release the new app for the US on September 5 in app stores in the US. People who want to keep using the service will eventually have to download the new version. However, the old app should still work until March 2026. But the timetable could still change.
ByteDance, the company that owns TikTok, has until September 17 to sell off its US assets. This is because President Trump gave the company more time last month.
Reuters has asked TikTok for a comment but has not yet heard back, and Reuters has not checked the story independently.
Plans were made earlier this year to split off TikTok’s US business into a new company that would be run by American investors. But the process stopped when China said it would not go along with the move because the US was going to put higher tariffs on Chinese goods.
Trump also said that any final deal would probably need to be approved by Chinese officials.
