Apple and Google Restore TikTok to U.S. App Stores Following Executive Order
Apple and Google have reinstated TikTok on their U.S. app stores, following an executive action that delayed the enforcement of a potential ban on the platform.
Google Play confirmed on Thursday that it had restored TikTok, while reports from Bloomberg and CNBC indicated that Apple would do the same later that evening. By Thursday night, the app was once again available for download, as confirmed by CNN tests on multiple devices.
TikTok’s future in the U.S. has been uncertain since April 2024, when then-President Joe Biden signed a law requiring its China-based parent company, ByteDance, to sell the platform to a U.S. or allied owner within 270 days or face a ban. The Supreme Court later upheld the decision, setting the stage for the app’s removal.
However, TikTok briefly shut down for about 14 hours in January before making a quick return, a move attributed to promises by then-President-elect Donald Trump to keep the platform running in the U.S. Despite this, users encountered issues accessing the app as Apple and Google removed it from their stores, along with other ByteDance-owned platforms like Lemon8 and CapCut.
While Apple previously stated it had removed TikTok due to the ban, the app remained accessible to users who had already downloaded it.
Executive Order Delays Ban Enforcement
Trump, before taking office in January 2025, had signaled his intention to delay enforcement of the ban, stating that he would sign an executive order to extend the deadline and allow time for a potential deal to address national security concerns.
“I will issue an executive order on Monday to extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect so that we can make a deal to protect our national security,” Trump wrote on Truth Social on January 19.
The law had required TikTok’s technology partners, including Apple, Google, and Oracle – its U.S.-based cloud hosting provider – to stop supporting the app or face fines of up to $5,000 per user starting that Sunday. However, Trump signed the executive order on January 20, giving TikTok an additional 75 days to secure a new owner.
Trump’s Change of Heart on TikTok
Explaining his decision to delay the ban, Trump told reporters that using TikTok influenced his stance.
“Tiktok is largely about kids, young kids,” he said. “If China is going to get information about young kids out of it, to be honest, I think we have bigger problems than that.”
He added that the executive action gave him the authority to either “sell it or close it,” and he would make a decision accordingly.
For now, TikTok remains available to its 175 million U.S. users, but its long-term future in the country remains uncertain.
