A TikTok glitch made links sent over text look like HTML files, and some TikTok users thought it was the first stage of a Trump ban
- A TikTok glitch affecting iPhone users made links texted over Messages appear as HTML text files, as opposed to the typical preview.
- For a period of about 24 hours starting August 13, per Insider's experience, the TikTok links appeared as HTML files, and for days prior, they appeared as collapsed versions of the previews.
- TikTok clarified on August 14 that the glitch was a "technical issue" that had been resolved, but viral TikToks about the glitch resulted in conspiracies that the app was being removed — and possibly as a result of President Donald Trump's proposed TikTok ban.
In a classic "I thought this was just happening to me but it's actually happening to everyone" scenario, TikTok users realized on August 13 that there was a widespread glitch affecting iPhone owners. Typically, when you text someone a TikTok link on the Messages app, it shows up as a preview of the video. However, after a few days of showing up as a compressed preview, minus the video still that usually accompanies the link, TikToks started showing up as confusing, jargon-heavy HTML text links.
Users quickly created videos demonstrating how the texts had evolved, and people began realizing the glitch was widespread, but harmless, as the texts still operated as normal links that opened in-app.
The top comments on one such TikTok viewed over 3 million times in 24 hours say "wait so we all are experiencing this..?" and "I thought I sent my Google files or som lmaooo." By the afternoon of August 14, the messages started appearing again as normal.
TikTok didn't respond to Insider's request for comment about the glitch, but the official TikTokSupport Twitter account did tweet at a confused TikTok user on August 14 to clarify what happened.
"We identified a technical issue where TikTok videos shared via iMessage temporarily weren't correctly displaying as TikTok video previews for some users," the tweet reads. "Our team has since resolved the issue."
Before the glitch was corrected, TikTok users theorized that the app was going away, with comments ranging from "is this TikTok's way of telling us it's slowly dying" to "Okay so... I was thinking it has to do with Trump's first steps of taking down the app" and "idk how but Trump is responsible."
The reactions are thanks to President Donald Trump's proposed TikTok ban, which has inspired some teenage TikTok users to pledge to show up at the White House to confront him over. On August 1, as rumors of the contentious ban swirled, TikTok's US General Manager told users the app is "here for the long run" — although its US operations may soon have a US buyer, per Trump's recent statements on the future of the app.
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