Launching a U.S.-specific app could be part of the company's broader plan to comply with a 2024 law requiring ByteDance to divest from TikTok.

TikTok's owner, ByteDance, has plans to move Americans to a US-specific version of CapCut as it looks to meet requirements for a divest-or-ban law.

It’s looking increasingly likely that any deal to transfer control of TikTok to new owners will mean US users have to download a new TikTok. And that could mean an almost entirely different experience on the app.

ByteDance, the company behind TikTok, is developing a backup plan as it faces a deadline to sell its US operations or risk a

An app just for U.S. users, which looks set to run on an algorithm and data system that’s separate from TikTok’s global platform, could pave the way for a possible sale.

Popular video-sharing app TikTok is still available to US users only because President Trump issued an executive order in early 2025 to postpone the ban the Chinese app is facing. Trump has extended the delay two more times since then, with the latest extension coming just a few weeks ago.

According to The Information, the existing app – referred to internally as "M" – will be removed from US app stores once the new version is