Manus Unacquired
On August 11, Manus issued a letter to users stating that it will soon resume operations as an independent company. Some users will need to back up their data before 7:59 a.m. on August 23, 2026, and restore it after 8:00 a.m. on August 25. Jiemian News, citing Manus, provided further details on the scope of the data handling: for some users, data generated on or after December 29, 2025 will be deleted between 8:00 a.m. on August 23 and August 24.
Meta announced its acquisition of Manus on December 29, 2025, in a deal reportedly worth more than $2 billion. In January 2026, China’s Ministry of Commerce began looking into whether the transaction complied with relevant Chinese laws and regulations. Against this backdrop, Manus’s announcement that it will “resume independent operations” appears to suggest that the transaction or subsequent integration is now entering a separation phase. What users see is a backup-and-restore process; what the company is dealing with behind the scenes is the data and operational relationships established following the transaction.
This is not a routine product upgrade. Ordinary upgrades typically do not require users to first back up and then restore their data, nor do they usually divide user data based on a specific historical cutoff date. Manus attributed the changes to the “resumption of independent operations” and the need to “comply with regulatory requirements in certain jurisdictions.” This suggests that the adjustment is more akin to a reset of the company’s operating structure, data ownership arrangements, or compliance boundaries.
The December 29, 2025 cutoff is particularly significant. Manus did not explain in its user letter why this date serves as the dividing line. However, the fact that only certain data generated on or after that date needs to be deleted suggests that the regulatory or compliance measures apply specifically to data created during a particular period or under a particular operating structure. What can be said with greater confidence is that Manus appears to have determined that some data generated after that date cannot simply remain in the existing system and must instead be reconnected through a user-initiated backup and restoration process.
In the short term, the main impact on Manus is likely to be on user trust and experience. AI agent products differ from ordinary chat tools: users may store not only conversation histories, but also task histories, files, project context, and workflows. Even if Manus provides backup and restoration tools, some heavy users are likely to have concerns about data integrity, continuity of historical tasks, and the stability of the service going forward.
A letter to our users
Manus will soon resume operations as an independent company.
As part of this transition, and to comply with regulatory requirements in certain jurisdictions, some users will need to back up their data before 7:59 AM (Singapore time) on August 23, 2026, and then restore starting 8:00 AM (Singapore time) on August 25, 2026, to ensure continued access.
More information is available in our blog post. We have also provided detailed guidance in the Help Center, including how to check whether you are affected.
For affected users, here are the key details:
We will notify you via email and in-app notification. If you registered with an Apple ID or Facebook account, please check your in-app notifications.
Back up your data anytime between now and 7:59 AM on August 23 (Singapore time). You can back up more than once — after backing up, you can continue creating new data and simply run the backup again.
Starting 8:00 AM on August 25 (Singapore time), the restoration portal will open. Restore your data and pick up right where you left off.
Affected users will not be charged during the transition period, and we will provide a welcome-back bonus.
If your account is not affected, you don't need to do anything — just keep using Manus as usual. You will receive an in-app notification confirming this.
For those who are affected, we understand this is disruptive and we apologize for the inconvenience. Supporting you through this process is our top priority. In addition to the full guide in the Help Center, our support team is available 24/7 to answer any questions.
Looking ahead, we are incredibly excited about what's coming. We are preparing a range of new features that will once again push the boundaries of what general-purpose AI agents can do.
Thank you for being with us through this. The best is yet to come.