Is TikTok Broken? Outage Follows Major U.S. Deal
Journey Tribune – Thousands of TikTok users reported major problems with the app on Sunday, January 25, just days after the company finalized a deal to avoid a U.S. ban by restructuring its ownership. The issues included login failures, feed disruptions, and errors when trying to access TikTok’s website and Help Center.
According to Downdetector, a site that tracks service outages, reports of TikTok problems began rising shortly before 4 a.m. and quickly peaked at more than 36,000 complaints. Most of the reports came from users who said the app was not working properly or was behaving in unusual ways.
Many users said they were unable to log into their accounts. Others reported slow loading times, repeated videos appearing in their feeds, and trouble reposting content. Some users also noticed that their “For You” pages were no longer well-curated and showed less relevant or repetitive content.
Even hours after the outage peaked, thousands of users were still experiencing problems. As of 2:42 p.m. Sunday, Downdetector showed nearly 4,700 active reports.
The most common issue, affecting about 65 percent of users, involved the app’s basic functions. Another 22 percent of users reported total outages, while around 23 percent said they were having problems with their video feeds.
At the same time, TikTok’s website also appeared to be partially down for some users. When trying to open the Help Center, users saw an error message that read, “Something went wrong. Try again later.” Others who attempted to view TikTok’s new terms of service at TikTok.com/legal received a different error: “An error occurred while processing your request.”
These technical problems came just three days after TikTok announced a major change in its corporate structure.
On January 22, TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, finalized a deal that turned TikTok into a majority American-owned joint venture. The move was designed to prevent a potential ban of the app in the United States, where lawmakers had raised concerns about data privacy and national security.
Under the agreement, American and global investors now own 80.1 percent of the company. ByteDance, which is headquartered in Beijing, China, retains a 19.9 percent stake. Among the investors are Oracle and MGX, which have been linked to former President Donald Trump.
The new ownership structure was meant to address U.S. government concerns that TikTok could be influenced by the Chinese government or could share sensitive user data. TikTok has repeatedly denied those claims and said it stores U.S. user data on American servers.
Along with the ownership change, TikTok introduced updated terms of service and a revised privacy policy on January 22.
“We’re updating our Terms of Service and Privacy Policy effective January 22, 2026, to reflect changes,s including our updated corporate entity,” TikTok said in a statement posted on its website. “By clicking below, you agree to these changes. If you are under 18, you also confirm that your parent or guardian has reviewed them with you and agreed to them.”
However, some users were unable to read these new terms because the links were not working during the outage.
Reports from Newsweek and The New York Times said the updated policies include stricter language about age limits. Children under 13 are still not allowed to use the full version of the app.
The revised terms also expand TikTok’s ability to target advertising and collect location data from users who give permission. According to The New York Times, the new U.S.-based TikTok will share some data with TikTok’s global operations to provide what the company calls an “interoperable experience.”
TikTok has not yet released a detailed explanation for the outage or confirmed whether it is connected to the recent ownership changes or policy updates.
Meanwhile, frustrated users took to social media platforms, including X and Instagram, to complain and share screenshots of error messages. Many asked whether TikTok was “broken” or if the problems were related to the new deal.
As of Sunday afternoon, TikTok appeared to be gradually recovering, but some users continued to report issues.
The company has not said when all services will be fully restored. For now, users are advised to keep their apps updated and check TikTok’s official channels for announcements.
