TikTok returns to Apple and Google app stores in the US

TikTok is back. The social media giant reappeared on Apple’s App Store and Google Play late Thursday, nearly a month after it was pulled from both platforms. The removal happened on January 18, just before a new U.S. law took effect that targeted apps controlled by foreign adversaries.

The law, known as the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, forced TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell off its U.S. operations by January 19 or face an outright ban. Instead of complying, TikTok shut down services in the country. The Supreme Court backed the law, ruling that ByteDance’s ownership raised “well-supported national security concerns.” Now, the app has returned after President Donald Trump delayed enforcement of the ban.

TikTok came back online after Trump signed an executive order on his first day back in office, granting ByteDance an extra 75 days—until April 5—to reach a deal. “I would like the United States to have a 50% ownership position in a joint venture,” Trump posted on Truth Social, adding that he wanted to “save TikTok, keep it in good hands, and allow it to stay up.”

In 2020, Trump was the first person to propose banning TikTok entirely. Now, he’s pushing for U.S. control instead of a shutdown, raising questions about whether ByteDance will negotiate or continue to resist the pressure to sell.

ByteDance has not budged. The company has repeatedly said TikTok is not for sale. Even after bipartisan support in Congress forced the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act into law, ByteDance refused to entertain offers. The U.S. government argues that ByteDance’s ties to China pose a security risk, but the company denies any connection to the Chinese government.

TikTok traffic barely took a hit despite app store ban

Even with the removal from Apple and Google’s stores, TikTok’s reach barely declined. According to Cloudflare Radar, TikTok retained nearly 90% of its pre-ban traffic throughout January, and users who already had the app installed kept using it, while others found workarounds to download it from alternative sources.

The app store ban was only a temporary inconvenience, not a full shutdown. Users continued posting, watching, and engaging with content. It wasn’t until February that new users could officially download TikTok from the app stores again.

The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act had strong support in Congress, with both Democrats and Republicans backing it. The legislation made ByteDance’s ownership a national security issue and set the original January 19 deadline for divestiture.

With TikTok’s future uncertain, speculation about potential buyers has swirled. One name that keeps coming up? Elon Musk. But Musk isn’t interested.

Speaking at a conference in Germany, Musk shut down any rumors of a possible TikTok purchase. “I have not put in a bid for TikTok,” Musk said in a video appearance at an Axel Springer event. “I don’t have any plans for what I would do if I had TikTok.”

Musk made it clear that TikTok isn’t on his radar. “I’m not champing at the bit to acquire TikTok,” he said. The billionaire, who bought Twitter in 2022 and rebranded it as X, explained that purchasing Twitter was an exception. “I usually build companies from scratch,” Elon said.

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