TikTok’s US app to relaunch on September 5 as another deadline approaches

TikTok

TikTok is preparing to release a new US-exclusive version of its app on September 5, as part of an ongoing effort to satisfy Washington’s demands over national security and data privacy. The current app will remain operational until March 2026, but US users will eventually be required to migrate to the updated version.

According to a report by The Information, the move comes ahead of a September 17 enforcement deadline, tied to a law passed by Congress mandating that Chinese parent company Bytedance divest TikTok’s US operations or face a nationwide ban. Under the terms of the expected deal, a consortium of US and allied investors—including Oracle—will take majority control of TikTok’s American business. Bytedance will reportedly retain a minority stake, pending approval from the Chinese government, which could still throw a wrench into the process.

Once the new app goes live, the current TikTok will be pulled from Apple and Google’s US app stores. Existing users trying to open the old app may be redirected to download the new one. This switchover is designed to enable a clean operational handoff while satisfying national security concerns, particularly around where and how US user data is stored, claims the report.

To address past scrutiny, TikTok had already begun migrating US user data to Oracle-run servers. However, the new version of the app will likely involve deeper infrastructure changes, with all data hosted and managed independently of Bytedance. Moving 170 million US users to new servers could pose technical and legal challenges—and potential service hiccups.

The Department of Justice has reassured Apple and Google they won’t be held liable for continuing to host TikTok during the transition. Still, final approval from both Washington and Beijing remains the biggest variable before the deal—and the new TikTok—can fully go live.