President-elect Donald Trump says he wants service providers like Apple and Google to put TikTok back online in the US, and proposed creating a joint venture where the US owns 50 percent of the app.

Some users saw the social media app come back online on Sunday, following a shutdown when a federal law went into effect requiring a sale or ban.

Analysts have suggested it is "just matter of time" until the US ban on TikTok spreads to allied countries and beyond – if the Trump administration decides to keep it offline. The app has been switched off in America after US lawmakers ruled it was a national security risk because of owner ByteDance's ties to the Chinese government - ties it denies.