TikTok Building New App Ahead of US Sale, Eyes September 5 Launch Date to Bypass Trump-Era Ban

TikTok, the social media app facing a ban in the US under Donald Trump regime, is covertly building a new version of its app dubbed M2.  This is because the US government is about to crack down on the app, and it could be gone from the app stores by mid-September. 

According to a news report, the new version of the app is likely to come out on September 5 and it is expected to replace the old version of TikTok in the US as a way to get around the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, a Trump-era law that basically wants TikTok to be sold to a group of non-Chinese investors or app ban.

There are reports that ByteDance, the parent company of TikTok, is close to a deal to sell a controlling stake in its US operations to such investors, including Oracle.  ByteDance would keep a small stake, in agreement to the legal requirements without giving up full control. 

What's the catch? 

The Chinese government still needs to approve the agreement, but they haven't been very quick to do so lately, especially with the continuing tensions over tariffs and tech policy.  The Trump administration has moved deadlines and legal threats around more than once, but the clock is now ticking.  The app needs to be taken down from US app stores by mid-September. If everything goes according to plan, the original TikTok app could be gone by March 2026.  Internally, M2 is supposed to be a version just for the US basically TikTok replaced by a new passport. 

It's not obvious yet how M2 will differ in terms of functionality or moderation restrictions, but the move seems like a smart way to meet legal requirements without losing TikTok's huge US viewership. Yes, it is still TikTok.  It looks the same, but it has a new landlord and a new coat of paint. 

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