TikTok is Working Again in the U.S., But Still Removed From App Store

Well, that didn't last long. Less than a day after TikTok became temporarily unavailable in the U.S., the app is now functional again. In an in-app notice, TikTok says the app has been restored "as a result of President Trump's efforts."

TikTok on iPhone
Last year, the U.S. passed a law that required Chinese company ByteDance to divest its ownership of TikTok due to potential national security risks, or else the social media platform would be banned. That law went into effect today. TikTok is still owned by ByteDance, so Apple removed the app from the App Store in the U.S., pursuant to the law.

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump today said that he "will issue an executive order on Monday" that allows for more time before the U.S. law banning TikTok is enforced. Trump said the order will "also confirm that there will be no liability for any company that helped keep TikTok from going dark before my order."

Trump will be sworn in as the 47th U.S. President on Monday, and Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly plans to attend the inauguration.

Based on Trump's promise, Apple may or may not be safe to restore availability of the TikTok app on the App Store in the U.S., after pulling it on late Saturday. Apple has yet to re-list the app, and it may be waiting to see how the situation unfolds. Apple potentially faced billions of dollars in fines had it kept TikTok available in the App Store in the U.S., so it is obviously navigating this situation extremely carefully due to the risks.

In a support document published today, Apple said it is "obligated to follow the laws in the jurisdictions where it operates."

"Pursuant to the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, apps developed by ByteDance Ltd. and its subsidiaries — including TikTok, CapCut, Lemon8, and others — will no longer be available for download or updates on the App Store for users in the United States starting January 19, 2025," wrote Apple.

The outgoing White House administration declined to intervene.

TikTok remains available in the App Store in other countries.

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

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Top Rated Comments

hieranonymous Avatar
13 weeks ago
Trump created the ban then gave himself credit for negotiating its postponement. Textbook narcissistic manipulation. Meanwhile his mouthpieces are claiming the ban was Biden’s idea. ?‍♂️
Score: 144 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jdavid_rp Avatar
13 weeks ago
Im not from USA, but wasn’t during Trumps presidency when this TikTok thing started?
Score: 72 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Jamie0003 Avatar
13 weeks ago

kinda think its better for everyone having tic Tok being banned but I support free speech, trump hasn't even started yet and he has done more than someone else
Trump initiated the ban, by the way ?
Score: 67 Votes (Like | Disagree)
aidler Avatar
13 weeks ago
They can not return it to the App Store because that would violate the law. TikTok, on the other hand, is now openly violating the law. The assurances of the upcoming president mean nothing regarding the validity of the law.
Score: 52 Votes (Like | Disagree)
CapitalIdea Avatar
13 weeks ago

They can not return it to the App Store because that would violate the law. TikTok, on the other hand, is now openly violating the law. The assurances of the upcoming president mean nothing regarding the validity of the law.
Correct, it DOES violate the law, because Trump’s EO is meaningless, and the law as written says he has to deliver, in writing, a better plan for sale to even pause the ban. But for some reason Trump supporters literally believe he can just wave a wand. It’s amazing how they don’t know how their own country operates at the most basic level.
Score: 51 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Minato1990 Avatar
13 weeks ago

Trump created the ban then gave himself credit for negotiating its postponement. Textbook narcissistic manipulation. Meanwhile his mouthpieces are claiming the ban was Biden’s idea. ?‍♂️
America showing us once again
Its level of stupidity know no boundaries especially if them tik tokers applaud Trump as their savior now
This generation is cooked beyond recognition
Score: 40 Votes (Like | Disagree)