Apple Has Reportedly Expressed 'Serious Interest' in Purchasing TikTok [Denied]

1200px Tiktok logoApple has expressed interest in purchasing video-sharing social media platform TikTok, according to a newsletter snippet from Axios' Dan Primack:

Multiple sources tell me that Apple has expressed interest, albeit no sources inside of Apple, and that at least one other strategic has expressed interest. Yes, it would be an unusual deal for Apple, given that TikTok is a cross-platform app, and a bigger political headache than Tim Cook may want (both here and in China). But if anyone has the cash on hand...

In a follow-up tweet, Primack described Apple's interest as "serious."

U.S. President Donald Trump on Monday said that he would shut down TikTok in the United States unless it finds an American buyer by September 15. Trump has also indicated that the U.S. Treasury should receive a "substantial amount of money" from the proposed sale, although there is some confusion as to what he exactly means by those comments.

Earlier this week, Microsoft announced that it is "prepared to continue discussions to explore a purchase of TikTok in the United States."

Update - 7:57 a.m.: Axios has updated its report to note that "an Apple spokesperson tells Axios that there are no discussions about buying TikTok and the company isn't interested."

Note: Due to the political or social nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Political News forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Tag: TikTok

Popular Stories

maxresdefault

iPhone Fold: Launch, Pricing, and What to Expect From Apple's Foldable

Friday February 20, 2026 3:21 am PST by
Apple is expected to launch a new foldable iPhone this year, based on multiple rumors and credible sources. The long-awaited device has been rumored for years now, but signs increasingly suggest that Apple will release its first foldable device in 2026. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube channel for more videos. Below, we've collated an updated set of key details that have been leaked about ...
Apple Watch 15 Tips Every Owner Needs to Know Feature

Apple Watch: 15 Tips Every Owner Needs to Know

Thursday February 19, 2026 7:38 am PST by
Apple Watch is now eleven generations in, and packed with useful features that are easy to miss at first glance. To help you get more out of your new device, we've rounded up 15 practical tips you might not have discovered yet, including a few that long-time users often overlook. Bounce Between Two Apps On your Apple Watch, double-press the Digital Crown to see a deck of all currently...
Low Cost A18 Pro MacBook Feature Pink

Three Upcoming Apple Products Seemingly Spotted in macOS 26.3 Code

Friday February 20, 2026 7:36 am PST by
macOS 26.3 hints at Apple's rumored lower-cost MacBook, and two new Studio Display models, according to Macworld's Filipe Espósito. Espósito found the following codenames within macOS 26.3's source code, and he revealed the upcoming products that they likely correspond with, based on previous reporting from Bloomberg's Mark Gurman and others. The codenames:J700: Lower-cost MacBook J427:...
Apple Announces Special Event in New York Feature 1

Apple Reportedly Plans to Unveil at Least Five New Products Next Week

Sunday February 22, 2026 9:48 am PST by
In his Power On newsletter today, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said Apple will have a three-day stretch of product announcements from Monday, March 2 through Wednesday, March 4. In total, he expects Apple to introduce "at least five products." A week ago, Apple invited selected journalists and content creators to an "Apple Experience" in New York, London, and Shanghai on Wednesday, March 4 at 9...
Dynamic Island iPhone 18 Pro Feature

10 Reasons to Wait for Apple's iPhone 18 Pro

Wednesday February 18, 2026 5:12 am PST by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models at the same time, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 18 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect for the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max. One thing worth...

Top Rated Comments

McKodiak Avatar
73 months ago
I hope not. Tik Tok is a toxic app and social environment.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
73 months ago
I'm past the age range for TikTok so I couldn't care less what happens to it.

Now if Apple could create a social media network that is 1) focused on user privacy 2) good enough to get people to switch from Facebook/Instagram, I'd be the first to sign up.
Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JosephAW Avatar
73 months ago
Well at least they would push for more privacy than any other. They have a good track record, at least in the US.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)
cmaier Avatar
73 months ago

IMHO they should not pursue this... Apple does not have social networking in its DNA
Not too long ago they didn’t have phones in their dna. And watches. And app stores.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vidjahgamz Avatar
73 months ago
Let the bidding war begin.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kesennnnn Avatar
73 months ago
Cause that will align so well with Apple’s “Privacy-first” policies lol
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)