TikTok building new version of app ahead of expected US sale: report

[BENGALURU] TikTok is building a new version of its app for users in the United States ahead of a planned sale of the app to a group of investors, The Information reported on Sunday (Jul 6), citing unnamed sources.

This comes as US President Donald Trump said on Friday he will start talking to China on Monday or Tuesday about a possible TikTok deal.

He said the United States “pretty much” has a deal on the sale of the TikTok short-video app.

TikTok has developed a plan to launch the new app to US app stores on Sep 5, the report said.

Last month, Trump extended to Sep 17 a deadline for China-based ByteDance to divest the US assets of TikTok.

The report added that TikTok users will eventually have to download the new app to be able to continue using the service, although the existing app will work until March of next year, though the timeline could change.

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TikTok did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report.

A deal had been in the works earlier this year to spin off TikTok’s US operations into a new US-based firm, majority-owned and operated by US investors. That was put on hold after China indicated it would not approve it following Trump’s announcements of steep tariffs on Chinese goods.

Trump said the United States will probably have to get a deal approved by China. REUTERS