Tiktok’s time in the United States may have run out, but the company has a dramatic plan to save itself. The social media giant is reportedly building a brand new version of its app for U.S. users.
The new app, codenamed “M2”, is reportedly planning to sell Tiktok’s U.S. operations to a group of U.S. investors. According to the report, the company first launched the M2 in the U.S. app stores by September 5.
If the program continues, Tiktok’s 170 million U.S. users will eventually have to download the new M2 app to continue using the service. The current version of the app will continue to run with the new app until the app is expected to stop running in March 2026, although the report states that the timeline may change.
This move seems to be a direct response to the enormous political pressure. Last month, President Donald Trump extended the deadline for Tiktok’s Chinese-based parent Bytedance, selling its U.S. assets until September 17. On Friday, Trump said he would start final talks on Monday or Tuesday and reached an “almost” deal with “a bunch of very wealthy people.”
However, any sale is still complicated. An earlier deal to create a major stake in the new company owned by U.S. investors after China said it would not approve the sale. Trump acknowledged that the United States may still need Beijing’s approval to enter any new agreement.
The report’s plan will include a group of non-Chinese investors, including tech giant Oracle, who acquired Tiktok’s U.S. business and retained a minority stake.
The Wall Street Journal also reported that the General Services Administration recently announced a “same cloud infrastructure agreement” with Oracle, offering a 75% discount on software for the entire federal government.
Despite geopolitical unrest, Tiktok remains a powerful country in the United States. It is the second largest app to download on Android phones in the country, lagging behind Chatgpt only, according to Analytics website AppFigures.
Tiktok did not immediately respond to a request for comment to the report.
