Chinese TikTok Douyin not actually open to international users despite rumors
Amidst the furor surrounding the possibility that TikTok might be banned in the US, reports that Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, is now available internationally have surfaced. But it’s not true.
Image by Cybernews.
Amidst the furor surrounding the possibility that TikTok might be banned in the US, reports that Douyin, the Chinese version of TikTok, is now available internationally have surfaced. But it’s not true.
It all began with a few X users, seemingly desperate to keep access to TikTok-like features. Douyin works just like TikTok and is also owned by ByteDance. However, it is limited to domestic users, and some netizens claimed they were able to join the Chinese platform.
"Wow, this is huge. I just tried it myself with a foreign phone number (you can apparently choose any country, see screenshot) and it's true: you can now join Douyin – the Chinese version of TikTok – as an international user,” wrote Arnaud Bertrand.
“Which means the Great Firewall is coming down in the most unexpected way: with the world joining the China side of the wall. Really feels like a Berlin wall moment, except in the opposite direction.”
Wow, this is huge. I just tried it myself with a foreign phone number (you can apparently choose any country, see screenshot) and it's true: you can now join Douyin - the Chinese version of TikTok - as an international user.
undefined Arnaud Bertrand (@RnaudBertrand) January 19, 2025
Which means the Great Firewall is coming down in the… https://t.co/RDqSvlWBHs pic.twitter.com/8DVAjKtUfh
TikTok is now again available to US users after a brief offline period during the weekend. But Americans have been trying out Chinese social media platforms anyway.
RedNote even managed to reach the top of US app charts on Apple’s App Store and Google Play. The so-called TikTok refugees have also been downloading Lemon8, ByteDance’s lifestyle-sharing platform.
However, reports that Douyin is now available for international users are simply not true. This was actually already explained last week by Li Liang, a vice president of Douyin Group, who posted on the Chinese microblogging platform Weibo.
Douyin’s registration page has always allowed users to input overseas phone numbers. But verification still requires a Chinese ID card, a Hong Kong/Macau travel permit, or a foreign permanent residence permit. There is no option to verify with a foreign passport.
Liang also said that having an overseas IP address does not necessarily indicate a genuine foreign registration.
“Recently, some people have been trying to exploit the situation – reposting videos and pretending to be foreign users, especially certain grey-market groups hoping to gain followers,” he wrote.
“These accounts are tricky to identify. Over the past few days, we’ve taken action against more than 10,000 accounts impersonating foreign users.”