Can You Still Use TikTok After the Ban (Starting This Sunday / Sep 20) in the US?

• Starting this Sunday (Sep 20), TikTok won’t be available on Apple’s and Google’s app stores anymore.
• Existing TikTok installations will remain functional until at least November 12.
• VPNs still seem like a viable solution to access TikTok in countries that have banned TikTok, including the United States.

After numerous threats and promises to ban TikTok in the USA, the Trump administration is getting ready to restrict US citizens from accessing the app. Starting this Sunday (Sep 20), both WeChat and TikTok are expected to be banned in the country.

As per the (leaked) document submitted by the US Department of Commerce, the process of banning TikTok will not happen overnight. Instead, several steps are planned, depending on the future development of TikTok’s negotiations with US companies.

Related: India Bans TikTok & Dozens of Other Chinese Apps

Allow us to remind you that the deadline for TikTok’s negotiations to sell its US-related business was set to September 15. Microsoft was the first company to show interest, followed by Walmart and Oracle.

Even though Microsoft’s offer was ultimately rejected, negotiations with other interesting parties are ongoing. Due to this reason, a new deadline will probably be set, which means TikTok has another chance until November 12, 2020.

6 Steps to a Complete TikTok Ban in the United States

The US Department of Commerce has created an outline of banning TikTok in the country. More precisely, we’re talking about six steps, as described below.

• Step #1: Online marketplaces hosting TikTok will be forced to remove the app, including Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store. This will make it impossible to download TikTok in the United States. Besides, receiving updates will be impossible as well.
• Step #2: Internet hosting providers that enable the functioning or optimization of TikTok will be asked to end their relationships with the app. In other words, ISPs will be asked to block TikTok-related traffic, expanding the ban to more devices and platforms.
• Step #3: Content delivery networks (CDNs) will be asked to stop serving TikTok-related content in the United States.
• Step #4: Internet transit and peering services that enable or optimize TikTok will need to shut down their services (related to the app’s functioning).
• Step #5: Any utilization of TikTok’s code, functions, or services will be terminated. This goes hand-in-hand with the final step.
• Step #6: Any transactions by any person subject to the United States’ jurisdiction will need to be terminated. This applies to ByteDance and all of its subsidiaries, including TikTok as well.

Starting this Sunday, September 20, the first step will be put into action. This means that Apple, Google, and other companies hosting the TikTok app will be forced to remove the app from their online marketplaces.

Related: iOS 14 Has Forced TikTok to Stop Reading User Clipboards

In other words, you won’t be able to download TikTok. And also, receiving future updates will be made impossible as well. This action’s primary goal is to prevent TikTok from expanding its features, deterring users in the US to seek (safer) alternatives.

Related: YouTube Is Developing ’Shorts’ to Compete With TikTok / Facebook Releases New Short Video App Lasso to Take on TikTok

All of the other steps described above will be implemented starting November 12, when using TikTok in the US should be made close to impossible.

TikTok Remains Operational Until November 12

In case you have TikTok installed on your device right now, it won’t stop working – at least for now. As described above, additional steps to ban TikTok in the US won’t be taken before November 12. This means using TikTok should not be a problem, for now.

Besides, we’re all waiting on TikTok to agree with a US company to sell its business. This way, TikTok should be transferred to a new owner and continue operating in the country without difficulties. Therefore, the ban that goes into action tomorrow can be seen as additional pressure on ByteDance to sell its US-based operations.

What Happens After November 12? Can You Use a VPN to Bypass the TikTok Ban in the United States?

If nothing changes before November 12, using TikTok in the United States will be made more difficult, if not impossible. However, as a solution to this problem, VPN services come out on top. Using a powerful VPN and connecting to a different country should bypass ISP-related bans, allowing you to continue using TikTok.

Related: What Are VPNs / How VPN Services Work

To learn more about how to bypass the TikTok ban in the USA, click on the provided link. There, you’ll find all of the information on which VPNs to use, based on our hands-on tests and years of experience of using VPN services.