TikTok returns in the US on Google's Play Store and Apple's App Store after Trump delays ban till April 5
This is a 75-day window from the original January 19 ban, allowing the company owned by China's ByteDance to continue US operations temporarily.
TikTok returned on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store in the US on Thursday, February 13, 2025, with President Donald Trump signing an executive order to delay its ban till April 5.
This is a 75-day window from the original January 19 ban, allowing the company owned by China's ByteDance to continue US operations temporarily.
Also Read: iPhone SE 4 launch on Feb 19? Apple CEO Tim Cook shares cryptic update
Trump also stated that no company will be fined for distributing or maintaining the Chinese app, according to a report by news agency Reuters.
Why was TikTok initially banned in the US?
US lawmakers of the previous administration passed the ban due to concerns about its Chinese ownership.
They feared that the short-format video app used by 170 million users in the US could be used to spy on American citizens.
This is because China requires its companies to share data with the government upon request.
Also Read: It was so warm towards the end of 2024 that Tim Hortons made money from cold drinks in winters
As a result, the legislation, called ‘Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act’ was signed into law and it required ByteDance to sell the US business alone to ideally American hands.
However, Trump signed the executive order delaying its ban on January 20, despite having previously supported it. “I guess I have a warm spot for TikTok that I didn’t have originally,” a Bloomberg report quoted him as saying when he signed the executive order.
However, the future of TikTok in the US is still questionable. The app can be potentially shut down again if a deal is not negotiated by early April to address the national security concerns.
Also Read: Govt answers all FAQs on new Income Tax Bill: ‘60,000 man-hours spent on it’
TikTok was the second most downloaded app in the US, with over 52 million downloads in 2024 alone, according to the Reuters report which cited data from market intelligence firm Sensor Tower.
About 52% of TikTok's total downloads came from the Apple App Store while 48% came from the Google Play Store in the US last year, according to the report.