- TikTok is now available again on the App Store and Google Play Store in the US
- This follows a 75-day delay to the banning of the app, which saw service paused on January 18
- It’s not entirely clear whether a deal will be reached to ensure TikTok’s continued availability
TikTok has been made available on the App Store and Google Play Store again in the US, after the app was delisted when a ban upheld by the Supreme Court went into effect on January 18.
This means that you can once again download TikTok for free, whether you’re on an iOS device like the iPhone 16 or an Android handset such as the Google Pixel 9 or Samsung Galaxy S25.
The app, which boasted more than 150 million users in the US as of March 2023, was banned nationwide due to concerns over user privacy and interference by elements of the Chinese state.
However, President Donald Trump has made it something of a personal mission to keep TikTok available in the US; he signed an executive order to delay the ban by 75 days during his first days back in office, and ultimately hopes to force the sale of at least 50% of TikTok’s US business to an American owner.
Though TikTok was able to resume service on January 19, the app has been missing from app stores until now.
As The Guardian notes, the wait between Trump’s delaying of the TikTok ban and the app’s return to digital stores may have come as a result of Apple and Google’s desire for assurances that they would not be prosecuted for hosting it.
TikTok is owned by Chinese media company ByteDance, which is not owned by the Chinese state or Chinese Communist Party, but is subject to the laws and regulations set in place by both. This has been a point of contention in US politics since TikTok came to prominence in the late 2010s.
Ironically, the idea of banning TikTok was initially floated by President Donald Trump towards the end of his first term in office – due to national security concerns, Trump signed an executive order to force ByteDance to divest from the service, but this was overturned by a court injunction and scuttled by the incoming Biden presidency.
TikTok is back – what now?
So, what now for the world’s fifth most-used social media platform?
If the current arrangement holds, ByteDance will have until April 5 to divest half of TikTok to US ownership or face having the app be banned once again.
However, Trump recently signaled that an extension to the deadline could be on the cards. As Reuters recounts, Trump suggested to reporters in the Oval Office that an extension would be considered, but that he didn’t believe it would be necessary.
Trump added that he would “make it worthwhile for China to do”, and suggested a partial sale of TikTok to the US would be in the interest of the Chinese state.
ByteDance has thus far remained adamant that TikTok is not for sale.
However, Trump also seemed to have his timeframes confused during the same press conference, referring to an as-yet unexplained period of “90 days”.
Few potential buyers have stated any sort of serious intention to purchase TikTok. According to AP, the currently small list includes investors Frank McCourt and Kevin O’Leary, former treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin, and internet personality Jimmy Donaldson (better known as MrBeast).
There have also been murmurs suggesting that Elon Musk may step in to purchase the site, but this is a quieter rumor.
Ultimately, it’s hard to predict whether TikTok will stick around for good, as this depends on mutual agreement between a potential buyer, the US government, ByteDance, and the Chinese state.
Bad luck for TikTok phone resellers
One of the most bizarre effects of the TikTok ban was the emergence of a second-hand market for smartphones with the app still installed.
As noted by Game Rant, TikTok phones were being listed on eBay for as much as $25,000 (roughly £20,000 / AU$40,000) in the wake of the ban, ostensibly targeting users who had no other access to the app.
While it’s hard to assess how many – if any – of these phones actually sold, one can imagine that the reappearance of TikTok on official app stores for free will cause a major price collapse for these ludicrously expensive second-hand devices.
At least, that’s what I’m hoping for – nobody in their right mind should be selling or buying a smartphone for this kind of money.
Anyhow, whether you’re sporting one of the best phones money can buy or keeping it simple with one of the best cheap phones, TikTok is available once again. What do you make of this whole situation? Do you think TikTok is sticking around for good? Let us know in the comments below.
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jamie.richards@futurenet.com (Jamie Richards)
