TikTok is back online, after Trump promised to restore it

TikTok greeted users back with a notification that said: “Thanks for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!”

The abrupt move to relaunch the service comes after TikTok became useless for Americans late Saturday night. Users who attempted to launch the app at that time were greeted with a notification stating that it was unavailable and urging them to «stay tuned.»

«A law outlawing TikTok has been passed in the United States. Unfortunately, this means that you will be unable to utilize TikTok for the time being,» TikTok’s statement stated. The app was also unavailable on the Apple and Google Play stores, as were Lemon8 and CapCut, both owned by TikTok’s Chinese parent company, ByteDance.

After weeks of uncertainty, TikTok’s 170 million American users, many of whom use the app for hours every day to find news, entertainment, and community, and, in some cases, to make a living, will be relieved to hear that it has been restored.

It also said that Trump may achieve a big political victory by taking credit for reviving the popular program. TikTok said in a statement noon Sunday that Trump’s commitment to safeguard the app enabled it to restore access to US users even before his expected executive order was signed.

Shou Chew, the CEO of TikTok, is slated to attend Trump’s «Make America Great Again Victory Rally» in Washington, DC on Sunday night before taking a prominent seat at the next president’s inauguration Monday.

While TikTok’s ban lasted only a few hours, ensuring the app’s long-term viability in the United States is likely to be more difficult.