TikTok Faces Major Service Disruption in United States, Gradually Restored
TikTok users across the United States encountered a significant service disruption on January 25, 2026, with widespread app issues reported throughout the country. According to data from Downdetector, the outage monitoring service logged a substantial spike in complaints, reaching over 36,000 reports at the peak of the incident. This widespread disruption affected numerous users who experienced various technical problems while attempting to access the popular social media platform.
Complaints Surge and Subsequent Decline
Downdetector data revealed a dramatic increase in user reports during the height of the disruption, with more than 36,000 complaints registered. The situation showed significant improvement by January 26, as the number of reported issues dropped sharply throughout the day. Earlier on January 26, approximately 3,500 users were still flagging problems with TikTok in the US, but this figure later decreased substantially to around 500 reports. This steady decline in complaints strongly suggested that the service disruption was being gradually resolved, allowing most users to regain normal access to the platform.
User Experiences During the Outage
Many affected TikTok users turned to platforms like Downdetector and Reddit to share their experiences during the service disruption. The reported issues varied in nature and severity:
- Some users reported that the TikTok app failed to load entirely
- Others experienced problems with video playback functionality
- Many users found that their content feeds refused to refresh properly
- Several cases involved users who could open the app but encountered repeated errors when scrolling through content
These technical difficulties made the app challenging to use for many affected individuals across different regions of the United States.
Geographic Impact and Problem Distribution
The outage map highlighted several major cities as particularly impacted areas, including:
- Dallas
- Houston
- Atlanta
- Tampa
- Washington
- Chicago
- Detroit
Reports also emerged from various other regions across the United States, indicating a widespread service disruption. According to Downdetector's breakdown of the issues, 64% of affected users reported problems specifically with the TikTok app itself. A further 23% indicated they were experiencing a complete service outage, while 13% flagged issues related to feeds or timelines not loading as expected.
Official Response and Current Status
TikTok has not issued an official statement regarding the cause of the outage or confirmed when the service was fully restored. The company has not shared any timeline or technical details about the disruption so far. Despite this lack of official clarification from TikTok, user reports and monitoring data suggest that the platform's services in the United States have largely returned to normal following what appears to have been a temporary disruption.
The sharp decline in complaint numbers throughout January 26 indicates that the majority of technical issues have been addressed, though some users may continue to experience minor, residual problems. The service disruption, while significant in scale, appears to have been relatively short-lived, with most functionality restored within approximately a day of the initial reports.
