The ongoing TikTok narrative continues, but a recent report suggests we might be nearing a solution. It indicates that TikTok users in the US will receive their own version of the app, which will be owned by an American firm.
This latest update comes shortly after we glimpsed the letter sent to Apple, aiming to convince the company to reinstate TikTok on the App Store, even though it was illegal to do so.
### A Brief Overview
Since January 19, TikTok has been prohibited in the US under a law enacted by Congress. The law includes a clause allowing for the deadline to be extended under specific conditions, but those conditions were not fulfilled. Instead, Trump issued a possibly unlawful executive order to suspend enforcement for 75 days, providing an additional 90 days just last month.
Apple did not accept Trump’s assurances and kept TikTok out of the App Store until the company was later provided immunity by the DOJ. We now have access to this letter, which legal experts continue to claim lacks validity and could be challenged in the future.
Trump consistently insisted he would compel the sale of the app to an American entity, while the Chinese government responded that it would never allow this.
### US TikTok Users Will Get Their Own App
A report behind a paywall in The Information asserts that an agreement has now been established.
> TikTok is developing a new version of its app for users in the U.S., in advance of a proposed sale of the U.S. app to a consortium of investors.
This would allow the primary app to remain under Chinese control, while a separated version of the app would be sold to an American company, with only this version available in US app stores.
The Verge reports this version is set to launch in September.
> TikTok’s team is reportedly working on a new edition of the app — referred to as M2, in reference to the current app’s internal M designation — for launch in app stores on September 5th.
### 9to5Mac’s Perspective
At first glance, this arrangement seems to provide a possible resolution, but it still requires approval from the Chinese government, which has previously opposed any actions that would grant the US access to the app’s algorithm. That algorithm, which fuels the endless stream of suggested videos, is TikTok’s primary unique selling proposition (USP).
