Fortunately, this disruption lasted less than a day, as the Chinese-owned platform resumed service on Sunday following President-elect Donald Trump's announcement that he would restore access to the app. However, many users had already begun to consider a future without TikTok, which has engaged nearly half of the American population.
As users returned to the platform, some expressed discomfort over emotional farewells shared prior to the shutdown or took to social media site X to thank Trump, while others questioned whether the TikTok experience would ever return to its former state.
"We're back but at what cost?" one user mused on the platform.
Trump's decision to reinstate TikTok, owned by ByteDance, marks a significant shift from his previous administration's stance. In 2020, he sought to ban the app due to concerns regarding the potential sharing of American users' personal data with the Chinese government.
Recently, Trump has expressed a favorable view of TikTok, acknowledging its role in appealing to younger voters during the 2024 election.
The app ceased functioning for U.S. users late Saturday, just before a law aimed at shutting it down on national security grounds was set to take effect on Sunday.
Trump stated he would "extend the period of time before the law's prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security."
He also mentioned on his Truth Social platform that he would prefer the United States to hold a 50% ownership stake in a joint venture.
While many users felt relieved by the app's return, some remain skeptical about whether changes to the ownership structure could ultimately impact their TikTok experience.
"I think back to when Elon bought Twitter and how dramatically it shifted overall sentiment and how people interacted on the app. So that gives me a lot of concern," said Kelly Sites, 38, referring to billionaire Elon Musk's purchase of the social media site now known as X.
"I don't want the magic of the algorithm to change," said Sites, a part-time content creator based in Kansas City, Kansas.
TikTok's operational algorithms are integral to ByteDance's core functionality, rendering a sale of the app, including its algorithms, highly improbable, as reported by Reuters in April. While the future of TikTok remains uncertain, some users, especially those who depend on it for income, express concern regarding their diminished trust in governmental oversight.
"I think that this is a very sad time in history," said Richard "Chuck" Fasulo, 37, a mechanic and auto-influencer from Duchess County, New York.
Fasulo reported to Reuters that the application facilitated his debt reduction, more than doubled his income, and enabled his family's first vacation last summer. The prospect of losing the business opportunities afforded by the application was deeply concerning.
"I think that myself, like many others, have gained a lot of disdain for the U.S. government," said Fasulo, who has about 400,000 followers.
For others, however, the paramount concern is relief, regardless of origin.
"I would choose a political stunt over losing TikTok forever," Charlotte Warren, 31, a dating and relationships content creator based in Austin, Texas, told Reuters. Without TikTok, she said she could lose up to $60,000 in annual income, over 200,000 followers and was unsure if she would continue posting content to other platforms.
"I just wanted my app back."