Photo Credit: Visuals
A TikTok glitch prevented likes and view counts from showing up yesterday, sparking U.S. TikTok ban fears.
Impacted users saw zero likes and views on their videos, despite having more before. TikTok acknowledged the bug and said it is working on a fix for those affected. The company has declined to explain what the glitch may have been. TikTok reported the issue fixed a few hours after reports of the glitch went live.
“What’s going on with the TikTok likes and views?” one user wrote on Twitter. “Is this a sign TikTok is getting removed soon? I have so many questions. I really hope it means nothing, and TikTok is just glitching. If this is happening to you, or you know anything about it, comment because I’m clueless,” the TikToker finishes.
Normally, glitches like this wouldn’t inspire widespread panic on the platform. But the Indian government announced a ban on 59 Chinese apps, including TikTok. When asked if the Trump administration is considering a TikTok ban, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo says, “we’re looking into it.”
TikTok’s meteoric growth over the last two years has captured most of the younger generation. TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, is said to be exploring possibilities to spin-off TikTok. One of those changes is reported to be a change in corporate structure and an H.Q. outside of China.
Some TikTok users are afraid the ban-hammer will come down in the night. They’re already fleeing the platform to other rivals like Byte, Dubsmash, and Likee in the United States.
Byte, in particular, jumped from #210 on the App Store to #1 in Social and #1 Overall after news of the potential U.S. TikTok ban. That growth comes mostly from those who are fleeing TikTok. TikTok says ‘higher than usual’ traffic caused the problem.
“Earlier today, some of our users experienced app issues around notifications, the display of likes and view counts, and trouble loading videos on some pages of the app. The issues appear to have been caused by higher traffic than normal on our servers in Virginia, causing temporary service disruptions. We’ve resolved the problem and are investigating the cause and will share updates as they become available,” A TikTok spokesperson said of the event.
It’s worth noting that shortly before India banned TikTok, rumors suggested the ban was coming. A letter circulating on social media correctly identified TikTok and several other Chinese apps that would be banned in the coming days. TikTok users are right to worry – the U.S. government investigation into TikTok continues.
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