The US Congress voted to ban TikTok last year, but Donald Trump wants to save it. (Reuters: Dado Ruvic)
In short:
Donald Trump says he'll issue an order to delay a ban on TikTok, to allow time for negotiations to keep it operating in the US.
In response, TikTok says it is restoring services after it went offline to comply with the ban.
What's next?
TikTok's CEO is expected to attend Trump's inauguration on Monday, local time, as a guest of honour.
TikTok says it is bringing its services back to the United States less than 24 hours after the app went dark to comply with a national ban.Â
The app's future has become a headline political issue on the eve of Donald Trump's return to the presidency, and Trump has been promising to find a way to revive it.
TikTok disappeared from app stores and blocked access for its 170 million American users on Saturday night, local time, to comply with a Sunday deadline for its shutdown.
But on Sunday morning, Trump promised to issue an executive order on Monday, after his inauguration, to extend the deadline for shutdown. That would provide time to "make a deal to protect our national security" and keep the app running in the US.
"I would like the United States to have a 50 per cent ownership position in a joint venture," Trump posted. "By doing this, we save TikTok, keep it in good hands and allow it to say [sic] up."
A few hours later, TikTok announced it was "in the process of restoring service".
"We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties," a statement from the company said.
The US Congress passed a law, with bipartisan support, in April last year. It ordered TikTok's China-based parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app or face a ban.
Trump had tried to ban the app during his first term as president, but in recent months has spoken favourably about the app.Â
"We'll have a look at TikTok," he said at his first post-election press conference.Â
"I have a warm spot in my heart for TikTok."
It's been widely reported in US media that TikTok CEO Shou Chew plans to attend Trump's pre-inauguration rally, which begins shortly in Washington DC.Â
Mr Chew has also reportedly been invited to Trump's inauguration, to sit with other VIPs from the tech industry.Â
They include X owner Elon Musk, who Trump has appointed to co-lead his cost-cutting operation, and Facebook owner Mark Zuckerberg, who pledged to cut fact-checking from the platform after meeting with Trump.
