TikTok's Strategy for Freedom Might Involve a Fresh App

TikTok’s time in the U.S. may be running out, but the company has a dramatic plan to save itself. The social media giant is reportedly building a completely new version of its app for users in the United States, according to a report from The Information on Sunday, which cited anonymous sources.

This new app, reportedly codenamed “M2,” is being developed ahead of a planned sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations to a group of American investors. According to the report, the company has a tentative plan to launch M2 in U.S. app stores as early as September 5.

If the plan goes forward, TikTok’s 170 million American users would eventually have to download the new M2 app to continue using the service. The current version of the app would continue to operate alongside the new one until it is expected to cease functioning in March 2026, though the report notes this timeline is subject to change.

This move appears to be a direct response to immense political pressure. Last month, President Donald Trump extended the deadline for TikTok’s China based parent company, ByteDance, to sell its U.S. assets to September 17. On Friday, Trump signaled a deal was close, stating he would begin final talks on Monday or Tuesday and that an agreement had “pretty much” been reached with a “group of very wealthy people” ready to buy.

Any sale, however, remains complex. An earlier deal to create a new U.S. based company majority owned by American investors was torpedoed after China indicated it would not approve the sale. Trump has acknowledged that the U.S. would likely still need Beijing’s approval for any new agreement to proceed.

The reported plan would have a group of non Chinese investors, including tech giant Oracle, acquire TikTok’s U.S. operations, with ByteDance retaining a minority stake.

The Wall Street Journal also reported that the General Services Administration recently announced a “first of its kind” cloud infrastructure deal with Oracle, giving the entire federal government a massive 75% discount on its software.

Despite the geopolitical turmoil, TikTok remains a powerhouse in the United States. According to the analytics website Appfigures, it is currently the second most downloaded app on Android phones in the country, trailing only ChatGPT.

TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the report.