The TikTok shutdown is locking out non-US users, too
TikTok’s US shutdown last night appears to be affecting users outside the country as well. People have taken to social media in the hours since, complaining they can’t access the app despite living in non-US countries, and it’s not always clear why.
In some cases, the problem appears to be using a VPN that routes traffic through the US. One user on Reddit says they’re based in the UK, saw the message that’s supposed to be displayed only in the US overnight, and found that a quick location change in their VPN app fixed it:
I got that message myself in the UK I immediately thought to check my Vpn, yep it was going through Miami once I changed that TikTok is fine.
This doesn’t work in all cases, though. The original creator of that thread also claims to live in the UK, but they say they weren’t using a VPN. Instead, they suspect the problem is that they were living in the US when they created their main account. Other people who signed up in the US also report they can’t access the app, despite now living in countries like Canada, Germany, Australia, Greece, and Poland.
But some users, who name their location as the UK, Canada, and Australia, say they didn’t create their account in the US — and in some cases that they’ve never been there at all. Still others complain that the app is blocked for them in countries like Morocco or Ireland. One user, who says they are Mozambican, speculates it’s because they got around their country’s monetization laws by setting their account region to the US.
TikTok did not immediately reply to our request for comment on what could be causing people living outside the US to lose access.
TikTok’s US shutdown last night appears to be affecting users outside the country as well. People have taken to social media in the hours since, complaining they can’t access the app despite living in non-US countries, and it’s not always clear why. In some cases, the problem appears to be…
Recent Posts
- ‘Elon Musk said he thinks humanoid robots will be in many homes in three years, and I agree with him.’ I sat down with Jake Dyson to hear his predictions for AI and robotics in your home — and why you shouldn’t throw out your stick vac just yet
- LaCie 8big Pro5 review: I tested LaCie’s huge 256TB DAS solution, and it’s ideal for 8K video editing but it comes with a price tag that’s just as big
- EA’s Star Wars Zero Company drops August 27
- Buying your dad a tech gift or gadget for Father’s Day? You may want to wait until Prime Day, if possible
- Which Amazon Fire Stick do I need? A simple guide to the key differences
Archives
- June 2026
- May 2026
- April 2026
- March 2026
- February 2026
- January 2026
- December 2025
- November 2025
- October 2025
- September 2025
- August 2025
- July 2025
- June 2025
- May 2025
- April 2025
- March 2025
- February 2025
- January 2025
- December 2024
- November 2024
- October 2024
- September 2024
- August 2024
- July 2024
- June 2024
- May 2024
- April 2024
- March 2024
- February 2024
- January 2024
- December 2023
- November 2023
- October 2023
- September 2023
- August 2023
- July 2023
- June 2023