A US-Only TikTok? What We Know So Far About the Potential Replacement App

CNET

4 days ago

A new version of the TikTok mobile app for people in the US is reportedly being developed by the vertical video social media network's owner ByteDance. It will replace the current version of TikTok being used in the US ahead of a September deadline for the Chinese company to divest ownership, according to a report last month by The Information.
The new app, codenamed "M2," could launch on Sept. 5. If you're in the US, you would then be required to switch from the existing app to the new one, the report said, citing anonymous sources. US President Donald Trump recently extended a deadline for the owner to sell its US-based TikTok assets by Sept. 17.
In July, Trump said he found a buyer for the company, which he called a group of "very, very wealthy people."
The administration has continued to extend deadlines for TikTok to remain operational since January when it was shut down for less than 24 hours. The company reportedly has 170 million users in the US.
A representative for TikTok did not respond to a request for comment.
According to The Information, the reason for the new app version is also due to an Apple App Store restriction that does not allow multiple versions of an app for different regions to appear in the same listing.
What a US TikTok app would mean for you
If the report is accurate, it would mean that at the very least, anybody who uses the TikTok mobile app would eventually be required to migrate to a new US-centric version.
But there's likely to be a lengthy grace period, according to The Information's sources: the old app may not disappear completely until March 2026, giving you six months to make the transition.
Still, it could be disruptive for those whose business or brand relies on the platform. "Anytime there is a migration or a major feature revamp on any network, it certainly creates work and worry," said Jennie Smythe, an author and founder and CEO of Girlilla Marketing, which has worked with clients including Willie Nelson, Terry Crews and Iliza Shlesinger.
"There are concerns that audiences will also make the move and if the migration will be worth the effort," Smythe told CNET in an email. "The bigger concern besides the migration are the features and data that will be available to us in the creator economy as well as the audience restrictions (i.e. is our content/audience also restricted to US only?)."
It's unclear if the new app would include any other major changes or improvements over the existing app or if it would restrict or filter viewing content from other regions in ways that differ from the current version.