After TikTok was initially banned before it was brought back online in the U.S., the platform is available to download again on Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play Store after President Donald Trump assured neither company would face penalties for offering the service on their online marketplaces.
TikTok has returned to the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store in the U.S.
The social media platform was removed from both app stores in the country on 19 January 2025 – the day before President Donald Trump’s inauguration – and went offline over national security concerns because it is owned by Chinese company ByteDance, though the app has now returned to the online marketplaces after Trump assured Apple and Google neither will face penalties for offering TikTok on their services.
Once he took office last month, the President restored TikTok’s service in the U.S. and granted the company a 75-day ban delay, so long as ByteDance sells the app to a neutral party outside of China.
Trump has now suggested this 75-day grace period could be extended, but doubts an extension is necessary.
While TikTok came back online in the U.S. after Trump was inaugurated, users that deleted the platform were unable to reinstall it on the App Store or Play Store.
TikTok was initially banned in the U.S. after politicians and security officials said they believed the app could be used by China to spy on American citizens and harvest personal information from U.S. users.
TikTok has denied Beijing has any control over the platform and said it would “work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States”.
TikTok restored to US app stores following Trump assurances
