Congress Pressures Apple and Google to Prepare for TikTok Ban by January 19

U.S. lawmakers have instructed Apple and Google to be ready to remove TikTok from their app stores by January 19, citing national security concerns over its parent company, ByteDance.

This comes after a federal appeals court upheld a law requiring ByteDance, a China-based firm, to divest TikTok in the United States or face a ban.

Representatives John Moolenaar (R-MI) and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), leading members of the U.S. government committee on China, sent a joint message to TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew, urging immediate action.

“Congress has acted decisively to defend the national security of the United States and protect TikTok’s American users from the Chinese Communist Party,” they wrote. “We urge TikTok to immediately execute a qualified divestiture.”

ByteDance and TikTok filed an emergency appeal on Monday, seeking to block the law pending review by the U.S. Supreme Court.

They argue that the January 19 deadline would effectively render the app unusable for millions of Americans.

“Without a court order, the app will disappear from app stores and be unavailable to the half of the country that does not already use the app,” TikTok stated.

The company warned that halting support services will “cripple the platform in the United States.”

Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO), a long-time critic of TikTok, defended the law. “The statute is what the statute is,” Hawley said. “The main issue is ByteDance is subject to Beijing oversight — that’s the problem. The law leaves no wiggle room.”

The Department of Justice confirmed that the ban would not immediately stop existing users from accessing TikTok but added that restrictions on app store support would eventually render the platform inoperable.

Amid mounting pressure, ByteDance and TikTok have pointed to recent comments by President-elect Donald Trump, who suggested he would oppose a ban.

Although Trump previously sought to block TikTok during his presidency, he has since shifted his stance, warning that a ban could empower Meta-owned platforms like Instagram.

As the January deadline looms, all eyes are on the Supreme Court to determine TikTok’s future in the U.S.