Don’t call it a comeback.
Thanks for your patience and support.
As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!"
Check out thefull backstoryof everything that’s happened so far too!
Live: Latest updates
How did we get here?
It’s a fair question to ask.
Is Meta’s CapCut Copycat already DOA?
Time will tell, but this could be opportunism that comes way too late.
At the same time, RedNote saw a 74% surge on the 19th.
But most interestingly, this doesn’t seem to be just a U.S. thing.
But in doing so, people are getting a real taste of censorship.
Did you know we’re on Instagram and YouTube posting Reels and Shorts too?
Enter Flashes, which could be considered the Bluesky for Instagram.
Flashes is built on top of Bluesky’s open protocol and is meant to operate similarly to Instagram.
It also means you’re free to share images and videos from Flashes to your Bluesky account.
Meanwhile,Instagram is adding a number of new features to Reels, its TikTok ripoff.
These include a new Reels feed of videos your friends have liked or commented on.
But what about globally?
Well we know one thing for sure the video platform is not in the UK’s crosshairs.
Time will tell, and nothing is for certain right now.
How long could Trump delay the TikTok ban for?
Keen to download the app again?
We’ve put together a guide onhow to use a VPNand which ones we think you should try out.
Why you’ve got the option to’t download TikTok on iOS?
If you already have these apps installed on your equipment, they will remain on your equipment.
But they cant be redownloaded if deleted or restored if you move to a new gadget.
In-app purchases and new subscriptions are no longer possible, Apple explains.
Once you leave the U.S., full functionality returns.
But in quite the 180, the Chinese Foreign Ministry has said that companies can make their own decisions.
Translation: a vertical video feed you’ve got the option to scroll through easily… Sound familiar?
In fact, perThe Verge, those companies still face pretty hefty fines for breaking the law.
How much you ask?
Any company caught allowing access to TikTok faces a penalty of $5,000 per person.
Worse still those fines could be pursued up to 5 years after the fact.
And who knows who might be President come 2030.
Wait, is Vine making a comeback?
Kids these days probably don’t remember Vine.
It was the TikTok of its day, albeit considerably less popular and initially limited videos to 6 seconds.
Unfortunately it was ahead of its time and ended up shutting its doors back in 2017.
My only question is what this newly resurrected Vine might be called.
Will they keep the Vine name in place, or will it get re-branded the way Twitter became X?
Meta and X have already announced plans for newTikTok alternatives, and even Bluesky is joining the fray.
The feeds comprise of video-only content, with navigation done with a vertical swiping gesture.
According toTIME,TikTok could still be accessed via VPNs, which was also the case Stateside.
Whether that success will translate to American audiences is another matter.
Wiredclaims to have got hold of a campaign brief designed to court U.S. users by partnering with influencers.
Influencers were also asked to share their own Rednote accounts and encourage followers to join the platform with them.
Trump fails to mention TikTok
Speaking during his inaugural address in Washington DC.
This was left incredibly vague, with no mention of TikTok at the time.
As of right now, TikTok still remains in a limbo state.
While short videos are the app’s forte, it’s possible to go much higher.
Thankfully for Reels fans, thatlimit is increasing to 3 minutes.
This news was confirmed by Instagram boss Adam Mosseri late last week.
Why do they think this?
Because apparently Facebook created a TikTok account right before the app shut down its U.S. operations.
And yet somehow it still has almost 424 thousand followers.
Considering the ban is only affecting the U.S., there’s beenquite the spike in VPN popularityover the weekend.
Unsurprisingly demand seemed to taper off on Sunday, before dropping back to near-normal levels.
Be sure to check outour full reportfor more in depth detail about that sudden rise in VPN popularity.
