It was a surprising move.
Apple and Google have re-listed TikTok on their U.S. app stores as of Thursday evening, after it had been unavailable since January 18. The popular social media app, owned by the Chinese tech company ByteDance, was removed from both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store just before a ban was set to take effect on January 19. Although the app couldn’t be downloaded during this period, users who had already installed TikTok were still able to access it.
Both companies confirmed the app’s return, but they did not provide further details. The removal of TikTok was part of a national security-related ban tied to a law signed by President Joe Biden in April, which mandated that ByteDance either sell TikTok to a non-Chinese entity or face being blocked in the U.S. The U.S. Supreme Court upheld this law on January 17, clearing the way for the potential shutdown.
However, days before leaving office, the Biden administration deferred enforcement of the law to the incoming Trump administration, which took office on January 20. TikTok was briefly restored in the U.S. on January 19 after the law’s prohibitions were delayed. Former President Donald Trump had suggested he would issue an executive order to extend the deadline and work out a deal to safeguard national security. TikTok expressed its gratitude for the clarity that allowed the app to remain operational.
The situation regarding the law and TikTok’s ownership remains unresolved. Trump had previously mentioned the possibility of a 90-day extension to the law, contingent on progress towards a divestiture of TikTok. However, with no official extension in place, the app’s future in the U.S. is uncertain. The debate surrounding the app’s fate is rooted in concerns about data privacy and potential security threats from its Chinese ownership, with both Republican and Democratic lawmakers showing support for its potential ban.
