Trump admin orders TikTok, WeChat gone from app stores on Sunday

Enlarge / If the Trump administration has its way, these logos will be scarce inside the US in a few days. (credit: Ivan Abreu | Bloomberg | Getty Images)

Consumers inside the US will no longer be allowed to download TikTok or WeChat from any US app store after Sunday, the Trump administration announced today.

Any "provision of service to distribute or maintain" the mobile applications or their "constituent code" is prohibited beginning after 11:59pm ET September 20, the Department of Commerce said this morning. That means Google Play and Apple's App Store will have to yank their listings for the apps, and users who already have one or both apps will not be able to download updates or patches for them.

"At the President's direction, we have taken significant action to combat China's malicious collection of American citizens' personal data, while promoting our national values, democratic rules-based norms, and aggressive enforcement of US laws and regulations," Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross said in a written statement.

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