TikTok Building Separate US App Ahead of Potential Sale, Report Says

News Desk

Washington: Popular video-sharing platform TikTok is reportedly developing a new version of its app specifically for US users, ahead of a planned sale of its American operations to a group of US-based investors, according to a report by The Information, citing unnamed sources.

The development comes as US President Donald Trump said Friday that he plans to speak with Chinese officials on Monday or Tuesday regarding a possible deal. Trump stated that the US “pretty much” has an agreement in place regarding TikTok’s sale.

According to the report, TikTok aims to launch the new US-specific version of its app on September 5, and existing users will eventually be required to download it to continue using the service.

However, the current app is expected to remain functional until March of next year, although that timeline may change.

Last month, Trump extended to September 17 the deadline for ByteDance, TikTok’s China-based parent company, to divest its US assets.

A previous attempt to spin off TikTok’s US operations into a new American company — majority-owned by US investors — was paused earlier this year after Beijing signaled it would not approve the move, especially following Trump’s imposition of steep tariffs on Chinese imports.

Trump added that any final agreement on TikTok’s future in the U.S. may still require approval from the Chinese government.

TikTok has not yet responded to Reuters’ request for comment, and Reuters has not independently verified the report.