TikTok developing separate U.S. app ahead of expected sale, report says

Reuters

TikTok is building a new version of its app for U.S. users ahead of a planned sale to American investors, The Information reported, as President Donald Trump prepares fresh talks with China over the platform’s future.

Citing unnamed sources, The Information reported on Sunday that TikTok aims to launch the new app in U.S. app stores by 5 September. Existing users would eventually need to download the new version to continue using the service, though the current app will remain operational until March 2026. The timeline, however, may shift.

The move comes as ByteDance, TikTok’s China-based parent company, faces a U.S. government deadline to divest TikTok’s American operations. President Trump last month extended that deadline to 17 September, amid heightened tensions over trade and digital security.

On Friday, Trump said the U.S. “pretty much” had a deal for the sale and would begin discussions with China early this week to finalise terms.

Earlier efforts to spin off TikTok’s U.S. operations into a new firm majority-owned by American investors stalled after Beijing signalled it would oppose such a move, in response to Trump’s announcement of sweeping new tariffs on Chinese goods.

TikTok has not responded to Reuters' request for comment, and the details of any finalised sale remain unclear.

If completed, the separation would mark one of the most significant restructurings of a major tech platform under U.S. government pressure, amid broader efforts to limit the influence of Chinese-owned apps on American data and communications infrastructure.

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