TikTok made its comeback to the U.S. app stores of Apple and Google on Thursday after President Donald Trump postponed a ban on the Chinese-owned social media app and confirmed that the tech giants would not face fines for its distribution or maintenance.
This return followed a brief outage last month when the popular short video app, used by nearly half of all Americans, faced an impending law enacted on January 19.
This law forced TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to divest the app to a U.S. or allied owner within 270 days or face prohibition based on concerns for U.S. national security. The Supreme Court affirmed the ban on the eve of its scheduled start.
In January, TikTok experienced an approximate 14-hour shutdown but quickly resumed, thanks to assurances from then president-elect Donald Trump to maintain the platform’s operation in the U.S.
However, its 175 million users encountered an issue: as of that January weekend, TikTok, along with Lemon8 and CapCut—also owned by ByteDance—were not available on the Apple and Google Play stores.
Apple had removed TikTok from its app store citing the ban but allowed access to users who had previously installed it.
Tech Companies Faced Consequences
Before his inauguration, Trump indicated he would enact an executive order to delay the ban’s enforcement, crediting this decision as the reason for TikTok’s brief comeback.
On January 19, Trump announced on Truth Social, “I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can negotiate a deal to protect our national security.”
He further stated that he would not hold TikTok’s technological partners, including Apple, Google, and cloud service provider Oracle, responsible for continuing to offer the app until he signed the order.
The legislation mandated that TikTok’s technological allies, such as Oracle, which hosts TikTok’s data in the U.S., along with Apple and Google who distribute the app, cease their support or face penalties of up to $5,000 per person with access to the platform starting Sunday.
Trump assumed the presidency the following day, January 20, and signed the executive order that same day, granting TikTok an additional 75 days to secure a new owner.
Trump’s Promises To Save TikTok
The executive action included a 75-day extension to enable the Trump administration to “determine the appropriate course forward in an orderly way that protects national security while preventing an abrupt shutdown of a communications platform used by millions of Americans.”
When addressing the media, Trump revealed his shift in stance on TikTok, stating, “I got to use it.”
“And remember, TikTok is largely about kids, young kids,” Trump said in the Oval Office when asked what changed his mind. “If China is going to get information about young kids out of it, to be honest, I think we have bigger problems than that.”
Trump also clarified to the press that the executive order on TikTok granted him the authority to either “sell it or shut it down.”
“I have the right to either sell it or close it, and we will make that determination,” Trump added.
