Owned by China’s ByteDance, TikTok warned that it would “go dark” on Sunday (January 19) as the Supreme Court upheld the ban unless the outgoing U.S. administration decides

A looming ban on TikTok set to take effect on Sunday presents a multibillion-dollar headache for app store operators Apple and Google.

Apple and Google removed TikTok from their app stores Saturday, complying with a law requiring China's ByteDance to divest the social app or see it face an effective ban in the U.S.

TikTok stopped working in the United States late on Saturday and disappeared from Apple and Google app stores ahead of a law that takes effect Sunday requiring the shutdown of the app used by 170 million Americans.

If it feels like TikTok has been around forever, that’s probably because it has, at least if you’re measuring via internet time.

After several attempts, finally came the moment when ByteDance's platform, TikTok disappears from the United States after a legal battle.

TikTok officially stopped operating in the United States (U.S.) on Saturday night and disappeared from the Apple and Google app stores.

The ban stems from a law signed by President Joe Biden last year, mandating ByteDance to divest its stake in TikTok’s US operations within nine months or face prohibition.

With President-elect Trump adding uncertainty around whether a TikTok ban will go into effect, the focus is now turning to companies like Google and Apple

The app had more than 170 million monthly users in the U.S. The black-out is the result of a law forcing the service offline unless it sheds its ties to ByteDance, its China-based parent company.

Users were unable to access TikTok Saturday, instead seeing a pop-up message on their screens saying "a law banning TikTok has been enacted."

The divest-or-ban law aimed at TikTok is also taking down other ByteDance-linked apps, including the popular card game Marvel Snap. The app suddenly cut off access Saturday night, seemingly without warning,