A U.S. ban of TikTok began to take effect on Sunday, capping a high-stakes battle that pitted the federal government against one of the nation's most popular social media platforms.

Millions of TikTok users in the United States are no longer able to watch videos on the social media platform as a federal ban on the immensely popular app takes effect.

You’ll know by now that TikTok has been banned in the United States, and that initial expectations that it would simply mean users couldn’t update the app or download it, the app has gone dark. But a series of remarkable things have happened as a result,

The Supreme Court on Friday upheld a law set to ban TikTok unless the platform severs ties with China-based parent company ByteDance by Sunday. MORE: Trump says he'll 'likely' giv

The app had more than 170 million monthly users in the U.S. The black-out is the result of a law forcing the service offline unless it sheds its ties to ByteDance, its China-based parent company.

The popular video app stopped working shortly after signaling to users it might go offline, with a federal law barring U.S. companies from hosting or distributing TikTok set to take effect on Sunday.

Users on the app were saying their goodbyes, some filming themselves frantically scrolling or sharing final secrets with their followers ahead of the possible ban.

VPNs are a great tool to hide your IP address by connecting you to a secure server in a location of your choosing. Theoretically, that means you would be able to use a VPN to retain access to TikTok. And while the cybersecurity risks of using TikTok have been well-documented, that isn't going to stop the most dedicated users.

It's not the first time TikTok has sent a politically motivated pop-up message about the U.S. government's efforts to ban the app due to concerns over its Chinese ownership. In March 2024, the app asked users to call their representatives to ask for an end to the ban.

TikTok has essentially warned that it will “go dark” in the U.S., given that service providers underpinning the platform won’t be able to continue doing so lawfully. This might be over soon. TikTok is hopeful,

TikTok's future in the United States depends entirely on the incoming president's support. President-elect Trump will be pushing for investors to come see his show.