TikTok could disappear from the iOS and Android app stores in the United States if it doesn’t find a buyer soon. According to an internal White House document obtained by Reuters, Trump’s executive order will prohibit companies such as Google and Apple from offering TikTok on their app stores.
Last week, President Donald Trump signed a pair of executive orders banning transactions with the Chinese apps TikTok and WeChat, unless they reach a resolution within 45 days that the U.S. doesn’t deem to be a national security threat. However, the initial announcement didn’t share any specifics and left a lot to speculate.
A new report by Reuters offers a few clarifications on what the potential ban could entail. If it goes through, the executive order will dramatically cripple TikTok’s operations and revenue in the U.S. In addition to blocking Google and Apple from hosting the app, businesses will no longer be allowed to purchase advertising on TikTok. What’s more, even accepting the terms of service of TikTok after downloading it from alternate sources could be considered a “prohibited transaction”.
The acquired document, however, doesn’t reveal whether TikTok’s network traffic will be censored, which would let users continue using the app as long as they manage to install it on their phones or via TikTok’s website. In India, TikTok has been banned from networks meaning you can’t access it unless you’ve set up a Virtual Private Network.
At the moment, however, it’s unlikely that Trump’s ban will go into effect at all. Microsoft has already announced that it’s considering acquiring TikTok’s operations in the United States, New Zealand, Australia, and Canada. A Financial Times report claims Microsoft may end up buying TikTok’s global operations too.
Other than Microsoft, Twitter has said to have held preliminary talks for a TikTok takeover, although it could run into financial roadblocks given TikTok’s reported $50 billion valuations.
The leaked White House document doesn’t say whether similar restrictions will be executed for the Chinese social media app, WeChat. WeChat has oddly remained quiet on the matter and hasn’t yet commented on how it plans to tackle the executive order, despite hosting millions of users in the United States.
Instagram is testing a new format for long-form videos called Features. It allows select creators to upload horizontal videos running up to 90 minutes long. Instagram has already tested the new format with creators in Brazil, and now, it's expanding to tens of thousands of creators across the US.
How will Instagram's new Features format work?
Instagram is making its way to yet another screen, and this time, Apple TV is getting a taste of the Reels rabbit hole. The company has launched a dedicated Instagram app for Apple TV, bringing Reels, longer videos, and live shows to the big screen. So, if watching one quick clip on a phone somehow turns into an hour of scrolling, there's now a much larger screen for that.
Instagram brings Reels and more to Apple TV
I have lost count of how many times I have gone to bed thinking I will finally sleep on time, only to somehow end up scrolling Instagram or X again. A few minutes turn into an hour, then another, and before I notice, it is 2 or 3 a.m. The next morning, I am usually annoyed with myself because I could have just slept and felt considerably better for the day ahead.
It is also a surprisingly hard habit to beat. Knowing you should put the phone down does not always help once it is already in your hand. Brick Night is a new gadget built around that exact problem. Instead of relying on you to remember to turn on an app blocker, it automatically restricts selected apps and websites when your phone enters your chosen sleep space during the hours you set.