- TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is reportedly planning to shut down the app in the US on Sunday if the federal ban goes into effect.
- Users are encouraged to download any videos they want to keep before the possible shutdown.
- TikTok users can also download their account data, including usernames, followers and message history.
With the clock ticking toward a possible US ban on TikTok, users of the popular video-sharing app may be wondering what it means for them.
TikTok’s Beijing-based parent company ByteDance is reportedly planning to shut down the app entirely on Sunday if a federal ban on the app goes into effect, according to Reuters, which cited sources familiar with the matter. The news was first announced by Informata.
If this happens, you may be blocked from your favorite videos – made by you or other users.
While there are still efforts to find a buyer or someone to operate TikTok’s US operations, the uncertainty of the app’s future may make users want to take some action before a possible ban, especially if ByteDance decides to shut it down the application completely.
“It’s currently unclear whether users will retain the ability to upload content or save videos from creators who enable downloads if the ban goes into effect,” Mollie Lobel, an affiliate and influencer community manager at BrandCycle — which connects creators with brands. “These specifics will likely depend on how the ban is implemented.”
If TikTok goes away, it will leave a hole in the lives of many users. That’s because the average TikTok user in the US spends nearly an hour on the platform every day, according to research firm eMarketer.
“I imagine a lot of creators are focused on downloading videos and anything else they might want access to from TikTok in the future, while telling their followers where to find them if the app disappears overnight, Minda Smiley, senior social media analyst at the research firm. eMarketer, USA TODAY said. “Some creators ask their followers to share their email addresses or other forms of contact information so they can still reach them after the app is gone.”
It’s not just TikTok creators who may want to take some action before a possible TikTok ban. “TikTok users also…may want to download their videos and show others where they can be found outside of TikTok,” Smiley said.
TikTok:Wondering where to go if TikTok is banned? Here are 10 alternatives that are gaining traction
Can I keep my TikTok videos? Yes, if you hurry
If you have some favorite TikTok videos — whether they’re from your baby’s first steps or how-to videos about grandma’s hobbies like knitting and gardening — you can download them before Sunday. Here’s how to do it on your mobile device:
- Your videos: If there are videos that you have created and you want to save a copy of them, just call them and then click on the three dots and select the Save Video option and it will appear in your photo and video gallery.
- Other creator videos: Creators don’t have to allow downloads, but many do. Play the video, then click the Share arrow and you’ll see a Save Video option.
Mashable’s senior culture reporter Christianna Silva offers another method to download your favorite TikTok videos to your desktop using a Google Chrome extension if you prefer to use your computer.
How to download your TikTok data
You can also download the data that TikTok has associated with your account and activity. The data includes your username, followers, accounts you follow, links to videos, messages and your favorite activity.
Here’s how to download your data:
- open in the TikTok app, tap Profile at the bottom.
- touch Menu button at the top, then tap Settings & privacy.
- touch Account.
- touch Download your data.
- Select data you want to include in your downloaded file and select a file format (either a .TXT (plain text) file or a JavaScript Object Notation (JSON) file. Both are readable with standard text editing programs.
- touch Ask for data.
Depending on the amount of data in your file, TikTok will send you a file to download within minutes or days.
How did we get here?
The situation stems from a bill passed by Congress to sell or ban TikTok on national security grounds — concerns that TikTok shares user data with the Chinese government and could manipulate content — signed by President Joe Biden in April. Last week, the Supreme Court heard ByteDance’s challenge to the move and is expected to uphold the ban.
Many thought the ban would cause ByteDance to remove the program from the Apple and Google app stores, preventing new users from joining.
In that case, the app could remain on current users’ phones but not be updated, “which means bugs and security issues won’t be addressed,” Lobel said. “Over time, this will likely make the app increasingly unstable and eventually unusable.”
Contributed by: Greta Cross, Jessica Guynn and Eric Lagatta
Follow Mike Snider on Threads, Bluesky and X: mikegsnider &@mikegsnider.bsky.social &@mikesnider.
What is everyone talking about? Sign up for our trending newsletter to get the latest news of the day
