TikTok is expected to be shut down on Sunday for everyone in the US.
Right now, the only way that TikTok survives is if the Supreme Court blocks the federal law that would ban the social media platform. Someone with deep pockets and based in the US could also just buy TikTok from China-based ByteDance, which currently owns the company, but as of right now, these scenario seems unlikely.
Don’t miss: Why TikTok Users Are Downloading RedNote and Lemon8
If you’re one of the more than 170 million TikTok users in the US, you should be prepared for TikTok to shut down promptly on Sunday, Jan. 19.
But what exactly does that mean?
Under the law, Apple and Google will have to remove TikTok from their app stores. Beyond that, Reuters reported that on Jan. 19, people who already have TikTok on their phones and who attempt to open the app will see a pop-up message redirecting them to a website with more information on the ban. That means you won’t be able to use the app as intended — you won’t be able to watch videos, post content or do anything really.
And because of that, there are several things you should do before the ban goes into effect. Here are three things you should do before TikTok is banned.
1. Download any TikTok videos you want to keep
If TikTok is banned, you’ll no longer be able to watch or post videos on the platform. Fortunately, many content creators post videos to multiple social media platforms, like Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) — but that’s not always the case. So if you have some favorite videos you want to rewatch without having to use TikTok, you should download them, if available.
Read more: PSA: Download All Your TikTok Videos Before the Jan. 19 Ban
On TikTok, find a video you want to download, tap the share button on the bottom left and then hit Save video. If you don’t see the Save video option, that means the creator has disabled downloads, so you won’t be able to download it, although there are workarounds.
At the same time, you should also think about downloading your own videos as well, in case they’re not already saved to your device, like unfinished drafts. The process is pretty similar to downloading other videos. Find a video you’ve posted, hit the three-dot menu and tap Save video. If the video is in your drafts, open the video in the editor, hit the arrow to view more options on the right side of the screen and tap Save.
2. Download all your TikTok data, including people you follow, direct messages and more
If you’re looking to keep more than just your videos, there is a pretty simple way to download the following from TikTok:
- Your account info and settings
- Your posts on TikTok (or other TikTok apps)
- Your activity, such as likes, comments, favorites and watch history
- Your direct messages
In the TikTok app, go to your profile, tap the three-dash menu in the top-right and go into Settings and privacy. Next, go to Account > Download your data and tap the red Request data button. By default, all the data listed above will be downloaded, but you can choose specific data, as well as the file format (txt or json).
After submitting your request, you can expect to wait a few days to receive the download file for the data. You’ll be notified when it’s ready. To download the data, go to the Download data tab in the same page where you requested the data. The downloaded .zip file contains a folder called TikTok, which has all your information, including people you follow, favorite videos, comments, purchases, direct messages and more.
Also important to note that while videos are included in your downloads, they exist as links, and not as downloads you can save to your device or computer. You’ll need to throw the links into your web browser to watch them.
3. Find an alternative to TikTok, like RedNote or Lemon8
If TikTok is gone forever, where are you going to endlessly scroll through videos? Well, there are tons of alternatives. Shelby Brown and Jason Chun show you eight similar social media platforms to TikTok, like Instagram Reels, Facebook Reels, YouTube Shorts and Triller.
In recent days, the apps Xiaohongshu/RedNote and Lemon8 have gained popularity for being very similar to TikTok. Ironically enough, they’re both Chinese-owned, and Lemon8 is owned by ByteDance, the same company that currently owns TikTok. Which could become a headache in its own right, based on what’s happening with TikTok.
For more, check out Downloads, Trump and VPNs: Everything to Know About the Potential TikTok Ban.
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