TikTok building new version ahead of US sale: report

TikTok is building a new version of its app for users in the United States ahead of a planned sale of the app to a group of investors, The Information reports citing unnamed sources.

This comes as US President Donald Trump said on Friday he will start talking to Chinese authorities on Monday or Tuesday about a possible TikTok deal.

He said the United States “pretty much” has a deal on the sale of the TikTok short-video app.

TikTok has developed a plan to launch the new app to US app stores on September 5, the report said.

Last month, Trump extended to September 17 a deadline for China-based ByteDance to divest the US assets of TikTok.

The report added that TikTok users in the US will eventually have to download the new app to be able to continue using the service, although the existing app will work until March of next year, although the timeline could change.

TikTok did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

A deal had been in the works earlier this year to spin off TikTok’s US operations into a new US-based firm, majority-owned and operated by US investors.

That was put on hold after China’s government indicated it would not approve it following Trump’s announcements of steep tariffs on Chinese goods.

Trump said the United States will probably have to get a deal approved by China.