Users of TikTok reported widespread issues with the app on Sunday, January 25, prompting concerns about a potential outage.

Users took to social media to describe issues that included being unable to sign in, persistent lag, problems reposting videos, repeated content appearing in their feeds, and less personalized recommendations.

According to Downdetector, the outage began and peaked early on Sunday, with more than 36,000 reports logged. While the number of reports declined later in the day, disruptions continued for many users.

Early on Sunday, more than 35,000 users reported problems with TikTok, Downdetector data showed. Later on Sunday, that number had dropped to 4,689, though some users continued to experience issues.

The majority of complaints, about 65%, involved app functionality. Total outages accounted for 22% of reports, while 23% of users reported issues related to their feed.

TikTok Website Issues

Some users also reported difficulties accessing TikTok’s website. Attempts to open the Help Center resulted in an error message stating, “Something went wrong. Try again later.”

Users trying to view the platform’s legal page at TikTok.com/legal encountered a separate error message that read, “An error occurred while processing your request.”

Ownership Changes Days Before Outage

The disruptions follow a major ownership change involving TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance. On Jan. 22, ByteDance finalized a deal establishing TikTok as a majority American-owned joint venture, a move that avoided a potential US ban.

Under the agreement, American and global investors will hold an 80.1% stake, while ByteDance retains 19.9%. Investors include Trump-backed firms such as Oracle and MGX. ByteDance remains headquartered in Haidian, Beijing.

New Terms of Service

TikTok also introduced updated terms of service on Jan. 22, following the ownership restructuring. The company said the changes, effective January 22, 2026, reflect updates to its corporate structure.

The updated terms reinforce restrictions for users under 13, limiting access to the full version of the app. They also expand TikTok’s ability to target advertising and collect location data from users who grant permission, according to reporting by Newsweek and The New York Times.

The New York Times reported Friday, Jan. 23, that the revised privacy policy allows the new US TikTok to share some user data with global TikTok operations to maintain an “interoperable experience.” Links to the updated terms have since returned error messages for some users.