• Unfold
  • Posts
  • TikTok Is Already Back

TikTok Is Already Back

TikTok has come back online just 12 hours after the social video platform went dark over the threat of a nationwide ban in the US.

Author

Unfold by harman
January 19, 2025

In partnership with

Hey everyone,

Just a quick heads-up: TikTok got banned last January 18, 2025, at 11:00 PM but returned in 18 hours. But there’s more: Instagram released something new to give competition to editing software.

But here’s more…

What’s inside today’s newsletter:

  • 🌐 Tech Pulse: Instagram Reels rolls out new features for U.S. users as TikTok is banned

  • 📁 Unfold AI Tricks: Automate Meeting Notes with Fireflies.ai

  • 5 New Tools on the Block

  • 🔎 Spotlight: TikTok Is Already Back

  • 🤝 Who is getting funded?

  • ✅ To-dos

🌐 Tech Pulse

  • Instagram Reels rolls out new features for U.S. users as TikTok is banned

    • Meta is capitalizing on the potential TikTok ban by releasing new features for Reels that encourage user engagement and content sharing.

    • The new features focus on highlighting content liked by friends and followers, prompting conversations and interactions around Reels.

    • These updates aim to make Reels a more social and engaging platform, potentially attracting users and creators from TikTok.

  • Perplexity AI submits bid to merge with TikTok

  • Meta announces a new CapCut rival called Edits

    • Meta is capitalizing on the uncertain future of CapCut, a popular video editing app, by releasing a competitor app called Edits.

    • This move mirrors Meta's previous strategy of launching Reels in response to the TikTok ban in India, demonstrating a pattern of filling market gaps created by competitor app restrictions.

📁 Unfold AI Tricks: Automate Meeting Notes with Fireflies.ai

Overview: Are you tired of taking notes during meetings? With Fireflies.ai, you can automate transcription and get summaries instantly—no more manual note-taking!

Duration: 10-15 minutes

Skill Level: Beginner

Steps:

  1. Set Up Fireflies.ai:

  2. Sign up and connect Fireflies to your calendar or video call tool (Zoom, Google Meet, etc.).

  3. Start Recording:

  4. Fireflies automatically joins your meetings to capture and transcribe the conversation.

Review and Edit:

  1. After the meeting, get a transcript and summary. Edit or highlight key points as needed.

  2. Share the notes or integrate with tools like Slack or Asana to keep your team in sync.

Pro Tip: Use Fireflies’ Searchable Database to quickly find key details from past meetings without rewatching entire recordings.

💼 From our Partners

Need a personal assistant? We do too, that’s why we use AI.

Ready to embrace a new era of task delegation?

HubSpot’s highly anticipated AI Task Delegation Playbook is your key to supercharging your productivity and saving precious time.

Learn how to integrate AI into your own processes, allowing you to optimize your time and resources, while maximizing your output with ease.

🔧 New Tools on the Block

  1. Humva: Your easiest go-to avatar tool

  2. Type.link: Create your site from amazing widgets

  3.  F*ckSubscription: Simple, one-time payment alternatives to popular SaaS tool

  4. Taim: Automated time tracking for accurate billing

  5. GetWebsite.Report 2.0: AI Agent to audit your website for SEO & Conversion.

Note: Want to sponsor your tool in our newsletter? CLICK HERE

🔎 Spotlight: TikTok Is Already Back

Summary:

A looming ban, mandated by a US law requiring ByteDance (TikTok's Chinese parent company) to divest its US operations or face a ban, prompted Apple and Google to remove the app from their app stores and service providers to shut down servers. President-elect Trump intervened, offering assurances of no penalties for companies continuing to support TikTok, effectively preventing the ban's immediate enforcement. While TikTok partially resumed service, its full restoration, including its return to app stores, remained pending a longer-term solution negotiated with the incoming administration, highlighting the ongoing struggle between national security concerns and the potential for censorship.

Why it matters:

  1. TikTok attributed its decision to restore service to an agreement with its service providers. The company's statement specifically mentions reaching an agreement with service providers, suggesting that these providers played a key role in the reinstatement. This aligns with the previous observation that pressure from service providers likely influenced TikTok's initial decision to go offline.

  2. The service providers involved are presumed to be Apple, Google, and Oracle. These companies have significant control over app distribution and data hosting, making their cooperation essential for TikTok's operation in the US.

  3. President Trump's reassurance to service providers likely facilitated the agreement. Trump's statement promising no penalties for companies supporting TikTok likely eased concerns and paved the way for the restoration of service. This indicates the significant power that executive actions and political assurances have in shaping the digital landscape and the operations of major tech companies.

Sources: WIRED

🤝 Who is getting funded?

  1. Instabase raises $100M to help companies process unstructured document data (TechCrunch)

  2. Rivian finalizes $6.6B loan for its Georgia factory (TechCrunch)

 😂 Tech Memes

✅ To-dos

Do you have a topic in mind? We’re always open to suggestions—let us know what you want to learn next!

How was today Issue?

Login or Subscribe to participate in polls.

If you like today’s issue, consider subscribing to us.

That’s a wrap! Catch you in tomorrow’s edition. 👋

—Harman

Reply

or to participate.