The most straightforward way for the US to ban TikTok would be to remove it from app stores, such as those operated by Apple and Google for iOS and Android devices. App stores are how most people download apps on to their smartphones and tablets, so the ban would stop new users from getting TikTok.

TikTok will be in federal court on Monday, aiming to block a new law that will ban the popular video app in the United States early next year.

Under the law, ByteDance would have to sell TikTok — a sale that the Chinese government has said is illegal under Chinese law — or see it banned in the United States as of January 19, 2025. ByteDance, TikTok, and “creators” who post on the app have challenged the law, arguing (among other things) that it violates the First Amendment.

TikTok faced sharp questions from a US appeals court on Monday as the company scrambles to block a law that will force China-based ByteDance to sell the video-sharing app by Jan. 19 or face a total ban.

The following month, it was announced that a federal appeals court would be hearing the case in September. The case heads to court on Monday morning to be heard before a three-judge panel. Attorneys for both sides of the argument will be present. The case is anticipated to reach the US Supreme Court.

TikTok faces an uphill battle to avoid a US ban if its Chinese owner doesn’t sell the a app, judging from a grilling by an appellate court panel. Matthew Schettenhelm Media Litigation Analyst for Bloomberg Intelligence joins Bloomberg Intelligence to break down what this will mean for the app and its competition.

A three-judge panel for the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit signaled skepticism of TikTok’s argument Monday that the law signed by President Biden banning the video-sharing app would violate the company’s free speech rights.

The 2-hour hearing Monday allowed TikTok and the government to give Appeals Court judges their opinions on a potential TikTok ban.