TikTok Returns to US-Based App Stores—Apple and Google Restore App Downloads After Department of Justice Intervenes

Just shy of a month after the US government banned TikTok, the app has unexpectedly returned to the Apple App Store and Google Play.

US Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a letter to Apple assuring the company that it will not be fined under the current administration. The Biden administration’s TikTok ban contained a provision that would hold platform owners accountable for providing downloads of the app after January 19. With a hefty $5,000 fine attached for each download, neither Apple nor Google were willing to budge without assurances.

Both tech companies removed the app from their respective storefronts on January 19. Because Android allows sideloading of apps relatively easily, ByteDance made a version of TikTok that was able to be downloaded outside of Google Play. But the return of TikTok to Apple’s App Store means the ban might as well not even exist as iOS is by far the most popular mobile platform in the United States.

According to app data analytics firm Sensor Tower, around 52% of TikTok downloads last year came from the Apple App Store. Google Play was responsible for the other 48%—so the platform is easily split between both iOS and Android users.

Speaking about TikTok, President Trump said his 75-day deadline on TikTok finding a U.S. partner for sale could be extended—but he does not think it is necessary. He has assigned Vice President J.D. Vance and National Security Adviser Michael Waltz to lead a task force overseeing the sale of TikTok’s U.S. operations.

by Ashley King, Digital Music News |  Read more:

Image: Ashley King

[ed. Anyone wondering why Trump would be interested in keeping TikTok alive while burning other China industries? Well, maybe this, or this? We'll see how that plays out, probably like everything else, all bluster and impulsiveness before someone reminds him of *consequences* and where his deep support/money is coming from that week. But, you know, beyond that this soverign wealth fund they're suddenly very in love with will likely be the ultimate scam (and I mean ultimate. TikTok would be a sideline benefit). I'm familiar with these types of funds and why they would look like the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow for this crew. More later.]