TikTok is building a new version of its app for users in the US ahead of a planned sale of the app to a group of investors, The Information reported on Sunday, citing unnamed sources.
This comes as President Trump said on Friday he will start talking to China on Monday or Tuesday about a possible TikTok deal.
He said the US “pretty much” has a deal on the sale of the TikTok short-video app.
Last month, Trump extended to Sept. 17 a deadline for China-based ByteDance to divest the US assets of TikTok.
TikTok has developed a plan to launch the new app to US app stores on Sept. 5, the report said.
The report added that TikTok users will eventually have to download the new app to be able to continue using the service, although the existing app will work until next March, though the timeline could change.
TikTok did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment. Reuters could not immediately confirm the report.
A deal had been in the works earlier this year to spin off TikTok’s U.S. operations into a new U.S.-based firm, majority-owned and operated by US investors. That was put on hold after China indicated it would not approve it following Trump’s announcements of steep tariffs on Chinese goods.
Trump said the US will probably have to get a deal approved by China.
