Beijing / Washington, July 2025 – Chinese tech giant ByteDance is preparing to launch a completely new version of TikTok exclusively for users in the United States, in an effort to sidestep the nationwide ban expected to take effect in 2026.
According to media reports, including Telegrafi, the new app will look nearly identical to the existing TikTok, but will operate with a separate algorithm and data-processing infrastructure tailored to meet the strict privacy and national security requirements set by U.S. authorities.
What to Expect
The new app is planned to launch on the same day the current TikTok version becomes illegal, with the existing app set to be blocked by March 2026.
Although no official launch date has been confirmed, ByteDance aims to ensure that users experience no disruption in usage, even though major technical changes will occur in the background.
Open Questions and Uncertainty
It remains unclear:
Whether users’ existing videos, followers, and algorithmic recommendations will transfer to the new app.
Whether U.S. users will still have access to global content, which has been a major factor in TikTok’s popularity.
Legal and Political Context
This move follows a longstanding dispute between ByteDance and U.S. authorities, which culminated in a law signed in April 2024 requiring the company to sell TikTok to an American entity by January 19, 2025.
However, ByteDance has shown no intention of selling, despite interest from several potential buyers. The current legal deadline for compliance is September 17, 2025.
A Technical Solution Instead of a Political One?
By developing a U.S.-exclusive version of TikTok, ByteDance appears to be pursuing a technical workaround instead of a political compromise. But it remains uncertain whether the U.S. government will accept this approach as a valid alternative to divestment.
This leaves a key question unanswered:
Will Washington see this new app as a legitimate solution, or just a repackaged version of the same security threat?
