During the 2025 U.S. TikTok shutdown, on what date did TikTok voluntarily suspend service?

During the 2025 U.S. TikTok shutdown, TikTok voluntarily suspended service on January 18, 2025.

The suspension came hours before the deadline under the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, a law requiring ByteDance to divest TikTok or face restrictions in the United States. ByteDance did not complete a qualifying sale, and TikTok made its U.S. service temporarily unavailable at about 10:30 p.m. Eastern Time.

The shutdown affected more than ordinary video viewing. TikTok disappeared from U.S. app stores, existing users saw shutdown notices, and functions such as uploading, watching, commenting and viewing profiles were disabled. Other ByteDance products, including CapCut and Lemon8, were also disrupted.

The app began restoring service on January 19 after President-elect Donald Trump said he would seek an extension after taking office. That restoration date is the source of a frequent mistake: January 19 marks the return of service, while January 18 is the date of TikTok’s voluntary suspension.