TikTok Update Planned in Advance of a Sale

TikTok is building a new version of its app for users in the U.S. The news broke in an exclusive by The Information, a subscription-only Silicon Valley industry publication.

The company has developed a plan to launch the new TikTok app to U.S. app stores on September 5 ahead of a planned sale to a group of investors. TikTok users will eventually have to download the new app to be able to continue using the service, although the existing app will work until March 2026.

The investors involved in the deal have reportedly been finalizing the legal and financial details with ByteDance, and the group expects it will be announced when the Chinese government approves the sale. Trump says conversations with China have begun and may be announced within two weeks. Last month, Trump extended to September 17 a deadline for China-based ByteDance to divest the U.S. assets of TikTok.

It’s unclear how the TikTok algorithm might change the user experience. Observers note that any disruption to the platform can affect advertisers’ confidence.