A US-only TikTok app is one step closer to reality
A new US-only TikTok version is set to arrive on Sept. 5. Users must migrate by March 2026 or lose accounts. But some users are already eyeing alternatives.
TikTok is slated to get a new US-only version in the coming months, due to the app’s parent company ByteDance coming to a purchasing agreement with the US government, according to a report from The Information.
Sources told the publication that the new app, currently referred to as "M2" would become available to US users on Sept. 5, and those on TikTok (or M internally) would have to transfer from the old app to the new one or risk losing their accounts. Currently, the sources added users will have approximately six months, until March 2026 to transition their accounts before the current iteration of TikTok will likely go dark and be inaccessible in the country.
The development comes after the US government has been urging ByteDance, a Chinese company to relinquish ownership of its TikTok app to American companies. Notably, ByteDance’s prior resistance led to a brief ban in January 2025. However, the divest-or-ban law is now set for September 2025 after being delayed several times by the Trump administration.
According to The Information, the government is nearing an agreement between ByteDance and a group of “non-Chinese” investors, including cloud computing company Oracle. The deal is set to allow ByteDance to maintain a minority stake in its company, which would adhere to the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act.
Reports of the TikTok sale and the M2 app launch have already made it to the current form of TikTok, with creators sharing details to their followers. Many people in comments sections have expressed their chagrin, stating that "M = Monitored," adding that they are planning to move to alternative apps, such as RedNote, BlueSky, Skylight, Neptune, and Substack, and saying that their TikTok addictions will be cured once the new app is launched.