TikTok has returned to Apple and Google’s app stores after being suspended for over a month owing to a US rule targeting foreign-owned applications.
Summary
• TikTok has returned to Apple and Google’s app stores in the US after being suspended for over a month due to a US rule targeting foreign-owned applications.
• President Trump extended the deadline for ByteDance to sell TikTok’s U.S. business, giving them until April 5 to reach an agreement or risk another ban.
• The takedown occurred on January 18, shortly before new US legislation went into effect that targeted applications owned by foreign rivals.
• Despite the app store prohibition, TikTok retained approximately 90% of its pre-ban traffic in January.
TikTok has returned to Apple and Google’s app stores after being suspended for nearly a month owing to a US rule targeting foreign owned applications.
Trump extended ByteDance’s deadline to sell TikTok’s U.S. business, giving them until April 5 to reach an agreement or risk another ban.
TikTok lost little traffic following the app store removal, with 90% of its users remaining active despite the restriction.
TikTok has come back. The social media giant reappeared on Apple’s App Store and Google Play late Thursday, over a month after it was removed from both platforms. The takedown occurred on January 18, shortly before new US legislation went into effect targeting applications owned by foreign rivals.
The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act required TikTok’s parent firm, ByteDance, to sell out its U.S. operations by January 19, or risk an outright ban. Rather than cooperating, TikTok suspended operations in the nation. The Supreme Court upheld the rule, finding that ByteDance’s ownership created “well-supported national security concerns.” After President Donald Trump postponed the ban’s implementation, the app has reappeared.
TikTok resumed operations when Trump signed an executive order on his first day back in office, giving ByteDance an additional 75 days to negotiate an agreement. “I would prefer the United States to have a 50% ownership stake in a joint venture,” Trump said on Truth Social, adding that he intended to “rescue TikTok, keep it in good hands, and enable it to continue.”
Trump was the first to demand an outright ban on TikTok in 2020. Now, he’s advocating for US control rather than a shutdown, raising concerns about whether ByteDance will bargain or continue to reject the pressure to sell.
ByteDance has not budged. TikTok is not for sale, according to the firm on many occasions. Even when bipartisan support in Congress drove the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act into law, ByteDance declined to consider proposals. The United States government claims that ByteDance’s links to China constitute a security danger, while the business denies any affiliation with the Chinese government.
TikTok Popularity Is Still High
Even after being removed from Apple and Google Play, TikTok’s popularity has remained relatively stable. According to Cloudflare Radar, TikTok retained approximately 90% of its pre-ban traffic in January, and users who already had the app installed continued to use it, while others sought alternate means to get it.
The app store prohibition was merely a temporary inconvenience, not a complete shutdown. Users continued to submit, view, and engage with the material. TikTok was not officially available for download from app stores again until February.
The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act has support from both parties in Congress. The legislation declared ByteDance’s ownership a national security concern and reinstated the original January 19 divestment deadline.
With TikTok’s future unknown, speculation about prospective owners has abounded. One name that keeps coming up is Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Tesla CEO Elon Musk. But Musk isn’t interested.
Musk, speaking at a conference in Germany, denied reports of a TikTok takeover. “I have not made a bid for TikTok,” Musk stated in a video appearance at an Axel Springer event. “I don’t know what I’d do if I had TikTok.”
Musk has made it plain that TikTok is not on his radar. “I’m not eager to purchase TikTok,” he said. The millionaire, who acquired Twitter in 2022 and rebranded it as X, stated that his purchase was an exception. “I normally start firms from scratch,” Elon stated.
Also Read: TikTok has announced its return of service in the United States
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