TikTok flickered back to life in the United States on Sunday after President-elect Donald J. Trump said that he would issue an executive order to stall a federal ban of the app.
The abrupt shift came after just hours after major app stores removed the popular social media site and it stopped operating for U.S. users. The company said in a post on X that in “agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service.”
Mr. Trump said in a post on Truth Social on Sunday morning that he would “issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security.”
The ban stems from a 2024 law that requires app stores and cloud computing providers to stop distributing or hosting TikTok unless it is sold by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance. Lawmakers passed the law over concerns that the Chinese government could use the app, which claims roughly 170 million United States users, to gather information about Americans or spread propaganda.
App stores and cloud computing providers that do not comply with the law face potentially significant financial penalties. Mr. Trump said in his post on Sunday that he would “confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order.”
The possibility of an executive order — followed by TikTok’s stunning about-face — marks a new phase in the fight over the future of the app, which has reshaped the social media landscape and popular culture, and created a living for millions of influencers and small businesses that rely on the platform.
In issuing an order, Mr. Trump would raise questions about the rule of law in the United States. His action would constitute an attempt to temporarily neuter a law that passed with broad bipartisan support in Congress and that the Supreme Court unanimously upheld last week.
“We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive,” TikTok said in a statement announcing that the app was coming back online.
It is unclear whether Mr. Trump’s efforts will be successful in the long term. His executive order could face a legal challenge, including over whether he has the power to stop enforcement of a federal law. Companies subject to the law may determine that the text of an order does not provide enough assurance that they will not be punished for violations
The law does allow a president to grant a 90-day extension if a buyer is found, but only if there is “significant progress” toward a deal that puts TikTok in the hands of a non-Chinese company. That deal also has to be able to be completed within the 90 days for the president to trigger the extension. And it’s unclear if that extension option still exists, given that the law is already in effect.
In his post on Sunday, Mr. Trump floated the idea that he “would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture,” without providing further details.
TikTok has said that a sale is impossible, citing the nature of its global operations, and China has already signaled that it would block the export of its all-important video-recommendation technology.
Late Saturday, TikTok posted a message for users saying that the site was unavailable but, it was “fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution.”
TikTok and several Democratic members of Congress in recent days mounted a last-ditch effort to keep the app online. Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, privately told President Biden that allowing the app to go dark on his watch would hurt his legacy.
Critics of TikTok started their own push to keep the possible ban on track. Senator Tom Cotton, Republican of Arkansas and chairman of the Senate’s intelligence committee, called some of the major tech companies in recent days to say they needed to comply with the law, according to three people familiar with the calls.
Earlier Sunday, Mr. Cotton and Senator Pete Ricketts, Republican of Nebraska, in a joint statement, commended Amazon, Apple, Google and Microsoft for following the law, noting that violations could result in bankruptcy.
“Now that the law has taken effect, there’s no legal basis for any kind of ‘extension’ of its effective date,” they added. Only a sale will allow TikTok to continue operating.
Maggie Haberman, Karen Weise, Sapna Maheshwari and Aaron Krolik contributed reporting.