Apple and Google announced on Thursday evening that TikTok is once again available on their U.S. app stores. The social media app, owned by Chinese technology company ByteDance, had been removed from both stores in the United States on January 18, just hours before a ban was scheduled to take effect. While TikTok was unavailable for download on Apple’s App Store and Google’s Play store until Thursday, users who had previously installed the app were still able to use it. No additional comments were provided by Google and Apple apart from confirming the app’s availability.
The ban, which was imposed due to national security concerns, stemmed from a law signed by President Joe Biden in April. The law mandated that ByteDance either sell TikTok to a non-Chinese owner or face a blockade in the United States starting on January 19. Following several appeals, the Supreme Court upheld the law on January 17, leading to TikTok facing shutdown in the country.
Days before leaving office, the Biden administration deferred enforcement of the law to the incoming Trump administration, set to assume office on January 20. TikTok was reinstated in the U.S. on January 19 after briefly being blocked the night before, as a result of assurances from then-President Trump to save the app. Trump had indicated his intention to issue an executive order granting an extension before the law’s prohibitions took effect, in order to facilitate negotiations for ensuring national security.
The status of the law and TikTok’s ownership remains uncertain. While both Trump and Biden have expressed varying opinions on the availability of the Chinese-owned app in the U.S., the future of TikTok in the country remains uncertain as details are being worked out to ensure its continuity.
The law that ultimately laid the groundwork for the app’s ban was proposed due to concerns surrounding its data collection practices and its Chinese ownership potentially posing a threat to national security. The decision to ban the app had bipartisan support, with both Democrats and Republicans in agreement on the need to address these issues.
