Technologies

TikTok’s Fate May Be Decided This Week After Years of Threats and Bans

President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are set to seal a TikTok deal on Thursday, according to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent.

After years of political wrangling, lawsuits, looming bans and uncertainty for millions of people, TikTok’s long-running dramatic saga might finally conclude this week. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said Sunday that US President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are expected to «consummate» a long-negotiated agreement on Thursday, allowing TikTok to continue operating in the US under new ownership terms.

Don’t miss any of our unbiased tech content and lab-based reviews. Add CNET as a preferred Google source.

«The details are ironed out,» Bessent said, stating that his purpose in the negotiations was «to get the Chinese to agree to approve the transaction» and that it was «successfully accomplished.»

It’s possible, of course, that Thursday could come and go without a TikTok deal finalization. Dates and deadlines have been flexible along the way. Trump set numerous deadlines for changes involving TikTok and has bumped those dates several times. TikTok went briefly offline in January hours ahead of a planned ban, but returned the next day.

TikTok’s controversial history in the US

TikTok’s political rollercoaster began in 2020, when Washington first raised alarms about the app’s Chinese ownership and potential data vulnerabilities. Congress passed a 2024 law forcing ByteDance, TikTok’s Beijing-based parent, to divest its US operations or face a total ban. Since then, the video-sharing site has faced multiple executive orders, court challenges and failed acquisition attempts.

The time to make a deal has been running out. The US Supreme Court upheld the divestment order earlier this year, rejecting arguments that a ban would violate free speech. That ruling pushed both sides back to the negotiating table, but there have been numerous delays and shifts to the TikTok deal deadline over the last few months.

Trump signed an executive order on Sept. 25, allowing the new ownership to be US-based and made up of a majority of American investors and stakeholders.

The all-important algorithm

The White House confirmed in September that TikTok’s algorithm will be operated in the United States and overseen by American tech company Oracle. Private equity firm Silver Lake and Michael Dell, founder and CEO of Dell Technologies, will also be among the investors. In September, Trump said that News Corp founder Rupert Murdoch and his son Lachlan Murdoch will also be part of the ownership group, but CNN later reported that the Murdochs’ media company, Fox Corp, would be the investor, not the two Murdochs individually.

TikTok’s algorithm is a major part of the deal. The algorithm is what recommends content to you while you’re scrolling on TikTok, and it is controversial because of US concerns that ByteDance, TikTok’s original Chinese owner, could be forced by the Chinese government to use those recommendations in pro-Chinese, anti-US ways.

Under the new TikTok deal, the algorithm will be retrained on US user data.

What this means for TikTok users

For TikTok users, the alleged deal could preserve access to an app that has become a cultural mainstay in the US, eliminating the looming threat of a shutdown or spinoff app.

As part of the new arrangement, TikTok’s US user data will remain stored domestically and managed by a dedicated oversight board, which may appease many Americans with concerns about data privacy.

Trump and Xi will meet again in Korea on Thursday, which means a TikTok deal could be announced by the end of this week. However, implementing the deal and changing ownership will likely take months.

Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison is a personal friend of Trump, and some users fear his role with TikTok could mean the algorithm could push right-wing political content to users. A recent NPR story reported that analysts say that this could happen, but they will also need to refrain from alienating the existing audience.

Technologies

Nvidia GTC: All the AI and Robotics News We Expect to Hear at Today’s Keynote

Technologies

Apple AirPods Max 2 Headphones Are Here, Powered by the New H2 Chip

Apple’s premium over-ear headphones get their first update since 2020. Available for preorder on March 25, they ship in early April for $549.

The long wait is over for Apple’s next-generation AirPods Max headphones, which were first released in 2020. Apple announced today that the AirPods Max 2 will be powered by the H2 chip found in the AirPods Pro 2, AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods 4. They offer 1.5x more effective noise canceling and «a new high-dynamic range amplifier for even cleaner audio.» The new AirPods Max will cost $549, the same as the original model.

Read more: Best Headphones of 2026

While the design of the headphones doesn’t appear to have changed, this new version brings the Max up to date with other AirPods models in the line. It’ll offer features supported by the H2 chip, including Adaptive Audio, Conversation Awareness, Voice Isolation, Live Translation and Siri Interactions. They also support studio-quality audio recording and camera remote.

The more powerful chip (the original AirPods Max were powered by the H1 chip) should also help in improved voice-calling performance as it allows for more advanced AI filtering of background noise while isolating your voice. Apple also say the transparency mode sounds even more natural.

It was hard to call Apple’s updated USB-C version of the original AirPods Max a true 2.0 product, but it did have some small updates along with additional color options. The AirPods Max 2 has some things in common with it: It also supports 24-bit, 48 kHz lossless audio when connected with the included USB-C cable. And playing iOS, MacOS and iPadOS games in Game Mode reduces audio latency when using the AirPods Max 2.

There was no mention about Apple changing the protective carrying case for the AirPods Max 2. Until I hear otherwise, I’ll assume they come with the same case, which is more minimalist in style. Not everybody loves it, though, due to its purse-like aesthetic.

The AirPods Max 2 will be available to order starting March 25 in midnight, starlight, orange, purple and blue, with availability beginning in early April.

I’ll have a full review once I get my hands on a pair.

Technologies

The Galaxy Watch Ultra Is Due for an Update. Here’s When It Could Arrive

Rumors point to new Galaxy Watches on the way, but the rugged Ultra may steal the spotlight this year.

We’re only two months into the year, and Samsung has already dropped two major debuts, including a surprise trifold reveal and a new lineup of flagship Galaxy phones. Now, a fresh wave of Galaxy Watch rumors is starting to take shape.

Last year, Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 8 debuted a slightly controversial redesign, making the return of the Galaxy Watch Classic and its physical rotating bezel all the more satisfying. This year, a new Classic model doesn’t seem likely (though another redesign isn’t completely off the table). But there may be another headliner ready to steal attention from the flagship once again.

A report from GalaxyClub cited by Android Authority suggests Samsung may launch a new Galaxy Watch Ultra alongside the Galaxy Watch 9, likely in the summer of 2026.

The rugged smartwatch, which debuted in summer 2024, received a few updates in the last cycle, such as larger storage (up to 64GB) and a new color, but otherwise remained the same.

This year’s version, likely to be called the Galaxy Watch Ultra 2, may keep a similar design. At 47mm, the Ultra is already pushing the limits of wrist real estate. While a rotating bezel borrowed from the Classic line would be interesting, it feels like a tough sell for a rugged, adventure-focused watch.

Unlocking new health metrics

More realistically, the Ultra 2 could bring a new processor and upgraded sensors focused on deeper health tracking. Last year’s most notable addition was Samsung’s antioxidant index, which can detect nutrition-related signals through the skin’s surface. This year, Samsung could go deeper into skin-based detection, with broader nutrition insights and potentially even noninvasive glucose monitoring — one of the long-standing «holy grails» of wearable health tech that may finally be showing progress.

Battery and processor

One of the original Ultra’s biggest advantages was battery life, which lasted roughly 2.5 days on a charge, compared to the 30 to 40 hours of the flagship Galaxy Watch 8. Both the Watch 9 and Ultra 2 are expected to get a brand-new processor, which could mean better efficiency, longer battery life, or possibly a dual-chip architecture that separates high-performance tasks from low-power background processes, similar to what we’ve seen on the OnePlus Watch 3. If Samsung pulls that off, it could bring its lineup closer to the multiday endurance of competitors like the Huawei Watch 5 and OnePlus Watch 3.

More AI and less reliance on the phone

Improved processing power could also unlock more on-device AI features, especially as health coaching and AI-powered insights continue to evolve in wearables. Satellite connectivity is another possibility, following similar additions on the Apple Watch Ultra and Pixel Watch.

All of this is speculation for now, but it’s exciting to see the next Galaxy Watch lineup start to take shape based on early industry signals.