Apple reinstated TikTok on the App Store, once again making it available for download. This move comes after U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi wrote a letter to Apple confirming that the U.S. government won’t enforce the ban on TikTok.
Apple removed TikTok and other ByteDance apps from the App Store in mid-January to comply with the law.
Apple reinstates TikTok on the App Store
The TikTok ban took effect on January 19th in the US, briefly rendering the app unusable. Apple and Google also took down the app from their app stores on the same day. This occurred after ByteDance failed to comply with the PAFACA Act, which mandated the sale of its US operations by the deadline.
However, the next day, on January 20th, President Trump signed an executive order. It directed the DoJ not to enforce the ban for 75 days. Despite this, Apple (and Google) chose not to reinstate TikTok on the app store to avoid being slapped with potentially heavy fines.
Now, Bloomberg reports that, following a letter from Attorney General Bondi to Apple, TikTok is again available for download on the App Store. Google also relisted the social media on the Play Store.
In addition to allowing those with new handsets to install TikTok, putting the application back in the App Store allows ByteDance to send out updates to the app already on users’ phones.
TikTok fate still hangs in the balance
Despite TikTok once again being available for download, its future in the U.S. is unclear. Trump only asked the DOJ to delay enforcing the ban by 75 days.
ByteDance must still find and sell its operations to a U.S. company by early April. Otherwise, the country could ban its apps again and remove them from download.
TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, has repeatedly said it is not for sale. So, the fate of TikTok and other ByteDance apps in the U.S. still hangs in the balance.
Rajesh has been closely following and writing about the latest happenings in the world of mobile for nearly a decade now. While he prefers Android, he does not deny the superiority of Apple’s products and ecosystem.
