TikTok resumes operations in US after Donald Trump’s temporary ban pause

After President-elect Donald Trump promised to delay a federal ban once he took office on Jan 20, TikTok restored its services in the US by the afternoon of Jan 19.

The app had briefly shut down due to national security concerns.

TikTok’s Chinese parent company, Bytedance, was also ordered to cut ties with the US operations but could get a 90-day extension if a sale was underway.

Donald Trump, who will take the oath of office as US president on Jan 20, said that he wanted to give the business more time to "make a deal" in order to abide by a federal rule.

The app's value may reach "hundreds of billions of dollars—maybe trillions," according to the Republican, who said that he "would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture."

"By doing this, we save TikTok and keep it in good hands," Trump said on his Truth Social account.

Earlier in his first term, Trump had supported a ban on TikTok. Following his rulings prohibiting transactions with Bytedance and WeChat, the courts stopped them.

The short video-sharing app, however, is thought to have changed Trump's position after it greatly improved his chances of winning over young voters during his White House campaign.

In a statement, TikTok said it "is in the process of restoring service" in response to Trump's remarks.

"We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties for providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans," the company said.

Users could not access the software on the Google Play and Apple app stores in spite of the notification.

The US Supreme Court unanimously upheld the ban on Jan 17, and it went into effect the day before Trump's comeback; thus Trump's pledge was also uncertain in terms of how it would be implemented.