7 ByteDance apps that have been shut down in the U.S.

It's no longer news that TikTok shut down its app and operations in the United States on Sunday, January 19, 2025.

But, what most people don't know is that other apps owned and operated by its Chinese parent company, ByteDance – though not currently facing imminent bans – are now temporarily unavailable in the country since they share fundamental security concerns by association.

That's because the recent legislation targeting TikTok explicitly states its aim to protect national security from threats posed by "foreign adversary-controlled applications" developed by ByteDance, which casts a shadow over all ByteDance-owned apps operating in the U.S.

Techloy has compiled a list of ByteDance's U.S. app portfolio which are either not available on U.S. app stores, have shut down and/or could potentially face future bans under the current legal framework.

These are the 7 ByteDance apps (including TikTok) that are unavailable in the United States

TikTok

Known for its short-form videos, often featuring music, dance, comedy, and education, this addictive ByteDance-owned platform uses recommendation algorithms to connect content creators and influencers with new audiences. The ban also affects related apps such as TikTok Studio, TikTok Shop Seller Center, and TikTok Lite.

CapCut

This popular free video editing app is known for its intuitive design, making it easy for both beginners and more experienced editors to use. Its ease of use and powerful features make it a valuable tool for creating engaging and visually appealing videos.

Lemon8

A sister app to TikTok where users can share slideshows, photo collections, and explore content through "Following" and "For You" feeds. The app boasts a suite of creative tools, including filters, effects, stickers, text templates, and more, encouraging user expression.

Hypic

• This photo editing app uses AI to enhance photos and create art. With advanced features like AI avatars, AI cutout, image enhancement, trendy effects and templates, it allows users to edit their selfies and still photos into aesthetic pics of art and boost their social media profiles.

Gauth

• An AI-powered study companion that helps students solve a wide range of homework problems across various subjects, including math, science, and more.

Lark Suite

• An enterprise collaboration platform, Lark integrates various communication and collaboration tools into a single platform, including messaging and chat, documents and spreadsheets, calendar and scheduling, file sharing, and project management.

Marvel Snap

• This fast-paced, digital collectible card game featuring iconic Marvel characters also caught the stray bullet since the game's publisher, Nuverse, is a subsidiary of ByteDance. It is unclear if Land of Empires, another game owned by Nuverse, is affected by the ban.

And so it goes...the ByteDance empire has crumbled — at least for now — after growing its revenue by 50% YoY in 2023 and was in the running to grow TikTok's e-commerce business in the U.S. by tenfold in 2024.

Although the situation may not be entirely bleak for the world's most valuable startup worth over $300 billion, even as incoming U.S. President Donald Trump is considering a path to saving TikTok, it is a chilling reminder that even the most entertaining platforms can be swept away by the tides of geopolitics.

In the broader digital landscape, it serves as a case study of the potential consequences of government interventions in the technology sector.