It’s not just TikTok: these other ByteDance apps are gone too

TikTok is not long Available in USA– At least for now. But it’s not the only ByteDance-owned app currently Blocked for US-based users.

Shortly before the federally mandated January 19 deadline, TikTok blocked access to anyone trying to access the app from the United States. “A law has been enacted to ban TikTok in the US. Unfortunately, this means that you cannot use the TikTok app for the time being,” reads a block-screen faced by US users when they try to load the app. “We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us to revitalize TikTok once he takes office!”

Similar notices appear on other apps owned by ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, which is based in China and has been at the center of controversy over a popular video app that had at least 170 million users in the United States as of Saturday. Video-editing app CapCut, photo- and video-sharing app Lemon8, and others have now gone dark in the US.

A federal law Passed last year Bans ByteDance-owned apps in the US for national security reasons In response to Chinese laws that require companies based in China to provide their information to the Chinese government and intelligence agencies, Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversarial Controlled Applications Act (PAFACA) ByteDance must sell TikTok and its other apps to a company not based in China by Sunday.

That didn’t sell. As a result, TikTok began blocking US-based users on Saturday, January 18, before the midnight deadline. Because PAFACA banned not only TikTok, but all apps operated by ByteDance, users of countless other apps are facing similar restrictions.

PAFACA’s apps do not require ByteDance to block US-based users. Instead, it prohibits any US company from providing any services to “distribute, maintain or update” ByteDance’s proprietary apps. As a result, many of these apps are no longer available in Apple and Google’s app stores. That could change soon after Donald Trump takes office on Monday, but the US president-elect is hinting that he plans to extend TikTok’s sales deadline by 90 days. Yes, it’s all very confusing.

For now, here’s a rundown of all the apps that US users can no longer access due to the US ban on ByteDance-owned apps.

TikTok, TikTok Studio, TikTok Shop Seller, TikTok Lite

Not just TikTok, other ByteDance-owned apps that work for the TikTok ecosystem have also become unavailable along with the original app. These include TikTok Studio (for creators to manage content and test analytics), TikTok Shop Seller (for ecommerce sellers to manage their business in the app), and TikTok Lite (a smaller and faster version of the original app that’s only available in select countries. ).

Capcut

CapCut is a free video-editing tool, optimized for vertical videos that can be posted on TikTok. It is often the app of choice for amateur creators due to its professional features. Some creators use CapCut to create videos first before uploading them to platforms other than TikTok.

Lemon 8

ByteDance released Lemon8 in February 2023 as a photo-based social media app. It is known for similarity RedNote, a particularly successful social media app China, which has become the destination of many TikTok users in exile this week. Some TikTok users also chose to migrate to Lemon8, but the app also went offline.

gout

With Gauth, students can take pictures of their homework and the app will do it Use artificial intelligence to understand the problem and provide step-by-step solutions. It also has other features that help students be more productive while studying. According to the app closed announcement As of this weekend, it has “helped 300 million users with a billion questions.”

Hypic

Hypic, launched in 2022, is a photo-editing tool that focuses more on generative AI tools. It uses AI to help users improve photo quality or convert a photo into a cartoon.

Lark

Lark is a Slack-like workspace communication app. Originally developed for ByteDance’s own internal messages among employees, it has now become the most used office communication app in China with several million active users.

Melolo, Phizo, Mytopia book

Poligon, a Singapore-based subsidiary of ByteDance, publishes several apps that allow users to watch short vertical dramas (Mello) or read online fiction novels (Fizo and Mytopia books). MyTopia Books is the only one of those apps that hasn’t ended support for US-based users and is somehow available in Apple’s US App Store.

Tokopedia

Tokopedia is one of the largest ecommerce platforms in Indonesia. It was acquired by ByteDance in December 2023 and merged with TikTok Shop’s operations in the country after the Indonesian government banned the latter app. quote “Small businesses and users need to protect data.”

It has become unavailable on Apple’s US App Store but is available on Google’s US Play Store as of publication.