TikTok users in the United States who don’t have the app downloaded can now access the app on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. The video platform’s return comes after the Supreme Court upheld a ban on its stateside usage, which went into effect on Jan. 18. TikTok is now, once again, available to download for free, whether you’re an Android or iPhone user.
According to Bloomberg, Apple and Alphabet restored TikTok to their app stores on Thursday after Attorney General Pam Bondi reassured both entities the ban won’t immediately be enforced. Last month, both the App Store and Google Play Store removed TikTok to comply with a federal ban barring the app’s operation in the U.S. Though TikTok was able to restore its service in the U.S. on Jan. 19, it was wiped from the app stores.
In one of his first moves after returning to the White House, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 20 “not to take any action to enforce the act for 75 days from today to allow my administration an opportunity to determine the appropriate course forward.”
Before signing the executive order, CNBC reported that Trump said he would revive TikTok but wanted at least 50% of it sold to an American owner.
Lawmakers and the Supreme Court supported the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act amid ongoing concerns about ByteDance, the Chinese company that owns the app. In China, companies are required to share data with their government if requested to do so.
The Act had supporters across the aisle and was signed into law by President Joe Biden in April. The law asked ByteDance to pursue a “qualified divestiture” by Jan. 19, requiring it to sell a portion of the U.S. business.
Trump was initially for the ban but changed his tune.
“I guess I have a warm spot for TikTok that I didn’t have originally,” he said as he signed the executive order.
If Trump and TikTok can’t figure it out by April, the app may go dark again. ByteDance has stood firm in its resistance to selling.