It’s Not Just TikTok: These Other ByteDance Apps Are Gone Too

TikTok is not long available in the United States—at least not now. But that’s not the only ByteDance app out there restricted to US users.

Shortly before the government’s deadline of January 19, TikTok cut off access to anyone who wants to use the app from the US. “A TikTok ban has been implemented in the US. Unfortunately, this means that you cannot use the TikTok app at this time,” says the screen that US users face when they try to install the app. “We are happy that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to TikTok when he takes office, please stay tuned!

Similar notices appear on other apps of ByteDance, TikTok’s parent company, which is based in China and is at the center of controversy surrounding the popular video app that, as of Saturday, had 170 million users in the US. Video editing app CapCut, photo and video sharing app Lemon8, and others are now black in the US.

Federal law passed last year bans ByteDance software from operating in the US for national security reasons. Based on Chinese laws that require Chinese companies to provide information to the Chinese government and information agencies, a Protecting Americans from Law Enforcement by Foreign Enemies (PAFACA) required ByteDance to sell TikTok and its other apps to a non-Chinese entity by Sunday.

That sale never happened. As a result, TikTok began banning US users on Saturday, January 18, before the midnight deadline. Because PAFACA bans all apps used by ByteDance, not just TikTok, many of its app users are facing the same restrictions.

PAFACA does not require ByteDance to ban US users of its software. Instead, it prohibits any US company from providing any service for “distributing, processing or maintaining” ByteDance’s software. As a result, many of these apps are no longer available in the Apple and Google app stores. This could change as soon as Donald Trump takes office on Monday, however, the US President-elect has indicated that he wants to extend the time frame to sell TikTok by 90 days. Yes, this is all very confusing.

In the meantime, here is a list of all the apps that US users can no longer access due to the US ban on ByteDance apps.

TikTok, TikTok Studio, TikTok Shop Seller, TikTok Lite

Not only TikTok, but other apps owned by ByteDance that work on the TikTok ecosystem are also not available together with the main app. These include TikTok Studio (for creators to manage content and view analytics), TikTok Shop Seller (for ecommerce sellers on the app to manage their businesses), and TikTok Lite (a smaller and faster version of the original app that is only available in some countries. ).

CapCut

CapCut is a free video editing tool, optimized for static videos that can be uploaded to TikTok. It is often the software of choice for game developers because of its technology. Some creators also use CapCut to start creating videos before uploading them to platforms other than TikTok.

Lemon8

ByteDance released Lemon8 in February 2023 as a photo-based social media app. They are known for equality RedNote, the most successful social media app in China which has also been the destination for many TikTok users in exile this week. Some TikTok users also decided to migrate to Lemon8, but the app also went offline.

Gauth

With Gauth, students can take pictures of their homework, and the app will use artificial intelligence to understand the problem and provide step-by-step answers. It also has other features that help students to be more productive in their studies. According to the app closing announcement this week, it “has served 300 million users and a billion questions.”

Hypic

Hypic, founded in 2022, is an image editing tool that focuses on AI-based design tools. It uses AI to help users upload a good photo or turn a photo into a drawing.

Lark

Lark is a communication app with Slack as a workspace. Originally designed for ByteDance’s internal communications between employees, it has now become one of the most widely used office applications in China, with several million users.

Melolo, Fizzo, MyTopia Books

Poligon, a Singaporean company based out of ByteDance, publishes several apps that allow users to watch short stand-up comedy (Melolo) or read fiction books online (Fizzo and MyTopia Books). MyTopia Books is one of the only apps that failed to support US users, and is somehow still available on Apple’s US App Store.

Tokopedia

Tokopedia is one of the largest ecommerce platforms in Indonesia. It was acquired by ByteDance in December 2023 combined with the TikTok Shop service in the country after the Indonesian government banned the latter app, to mention “The importance of protecting small businesses and user data.”

It is no longer available on Apple’s US App Store but is still available on the US Google Play Store at the time of publication.