Apple and Google Restore TikTok in the U.S. After 25 Days
After more than 25 days, Apple and Google restored TikTok in the U.S. on Thursday evening. The app was removed from the App Store and the Play Store on January 18 in response to a national security law.
In addition to TikTok, other ByteDance apps such as video editor CapCut and social app Lemon8 were also restored on these app stores. Apple had published a rare support document detailing the removals, but it has since been deleted.
TikTok began restoring services to existing users on January 19, but Apple and Google had kept the app out of their stores. Users who had uninstalled TikTok were unable to reinstall it. TikTok had urged Android users to sideload the app via its website during this time.
President Donald Trump signed an executive order to give TikTok a 75-day lifeline to sell to a U.S. entity or face a ban. Trump expressed interest in the U.S. having a 50% share of TikTok through a joint venture and inaugurated a U.S. sovereign fund for TikTok dealmaking.
Despite the ban, TikTok’s traffic has seen a significant recovery, with data showing a 90% increase compared to pre-ban levels. Rival social networks are taking advantage of the situation, with X and Bluesky launching vertical video feeds and Meta announcing a video editing app to rival CapCut.
According to Sensor Tower data, TikTok was the second most downloaded app in the U.S. last year with 52 million downloads.
