TikTok is preparing a new version of its app specifically for the US market, reports The Information. This is another step towards meeting the demands of the US authorities to separate TikTok’s operations in America from its Chinese parent company ByteDance. The new app would hit US shops on 5 September and would become the cornerstone of TikTok’s US operations following an acquisition by a group of local investors.
The existing version of the app is expected to run until March 2026, but users will eventually have to migrate to the new one. Time is working against TikTok – the deadline for selling US assets is 17 September, in line with President Donald Trump’s extended ultimatum.
This is not the first time TikTok has tried to adapt to US regulatory pressure. Back in 2020. ByteDance was planning to spin off TikTok’s US operations into a new company with majority ownership by US investors. At the time, the deal was not finalised due to, among other things, Chinese resistance to the transfer of technology ownership and Beijing-Washington trade tensions.
The new app is intended not only to solve the problem of ownership, but also to make US TikTok independent of infrastructure and source code controlled from China. If successful, the project could become a model for other Chinese companies under pressure from the West.
For TikTok users in the US, the change may not be visible at first glance. But in the background, there is an ongoing battle over who will have control of one of the world’s most powerful social media platforms.
