US TikTok users locked out as app shuts down ahead of ban

“We see no reason for TikTok or other companies to take actions in the next few days before the Trump administration takes office on Monday,” press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said in a statement.

Reports from US media also indicated the app was unavailable in the Apple and Google app stores. TikTok is still available in Australia; the ban only affects US users.

US search engine start-up Perplexity AI submitted a bid on Saturday to ByteDance for Perplexity to merge with TikTok US, a source familiar with the company’s plans told Reuters. Perplexity would merge with TikTok US and create a new entity by combining the merged company with other partners, the person added.

However, finding a buyer for the immensely popular app is difficult given its estimated valuation of $US50 billion ($80 billion).