I tried unblocking TikTok with a VPN and experienced mixed results. Here’s what you can expect if a TikTok ban comes back.

Despite widespread speculation that virtual private networks, or VPNs, could be used to circumvent a nationwide ban on TikTok, few users are reporting having much success with technological loopholes. (UPDATE: TikTok says it is “restoring service”—read more here.)

The future of TikTok in the United States remains uncertain, even as President Donald Trump tries to negotiate a deal to keep it operating.

TikTok held firm and refused to be sold, Congress blinked, and now everyone is scrambling to avoid a backlash from its younger user base.