Marvel Snap, CapCut, Lemon8 and other ByteDance apps were also shut down in the US along with TikTok

Update, January 19, 2025, 2:06 PM ET: After shutting down its app and being removed from various app stores about 12 hours ago, TikTok is now in the process of restoring services in the US. This story examines more recent developments in this evolving situation; below is the original text of this report.

It wasn’t clear in the run-up to TikTok’s ban what the fate of parent company ByteDance’s other apps would be, but now we know: they’ve also been blacked out in the US. At the same time TikTok went offline this weekendas well as other applications that ByteDance has developed or is affiliated with, including the popular video editing tool CapCut, the social media platform Lemon8, and Marvel Snap. All are now showing messages to US users that their services are unavailable. Ben BroadChief Development Officer of Marvel Snap developer Second Dinner, wrote in Threads that getting banned “was a surprise to us” and that the team is working on bringing her back online.

A second dinner repeated this X and in its in-app message to users, adding, “MARVEL SNAP isn’t going anywhere.” While Marvel Snap was created by the US-based developer, its publisher Nuverse Games is a subsidiary of ByteDance. Other Nuverse games appear to be affected as well.

CapCut and Lemon8 may be less surprising victims, both developed by ByteDance, but given the law’s focus on TikTok as its target, their suspension is still sure to come as a shock to many users. CapCut is widely used for video editing, especially among social media creators. And many TikTok users looking for an alternative in light of the ban have flocked to Lemon8; just a few days ago Lemon8 was the second most popular app in the App Store.

On a new support page listing some of the affected apps, An apple notes, “If you already have these apps installed on your device, they will remain on your device. But they cannot be downloaded again if deleted or restored if you move to a new device. In-app purchases and new subscriptions are no longer possible.” These apps will also not receive updates.

Along with TikTok, CapCut, Lemon8 and Marvel SnapApple names Lark, Hypic — an AI photo editing tool — and Gauth: AI Study Companion as apps that have been pulled as a result of the ban. But there are many others not listed that can also be swept up in it.

“Apple is required to comply with the laws in the jurisdictions where it operates,” Apple said in a statement on its support page. “Pursuant to the Protecting Americans from Applications Controlled by Foreign Enemies Act, applications developed by ByteDance Ltd. and its subsidiaries — including TikTok, CapCut, Lemon8 and others — will no longer be available for download or updates on the App Store for users in the United States starting January 19, 2025.

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