Apple and Google restore TikTok to U.S. App Stores
Apple and Google restored TikTok to their U.S. app stores on Thursday evening, several weeks after they removed the Chinese-owned video platform to comply with a new law banning it in the country.
Last month, President Trump attempted to pause enforcement of the TikTok ban with an executive order. However, Apple and Google were reluctant to bring TikTok back until they were certain they were not breaking the law.
Apple and Google recently received letters from the Justice Department assuring them that they would not face fines for carrying TikTok in their app stores. This was based on written guidance provided in response to the executive order signed by President Trump.
The law, signed last year by President Biden, required TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app to a non-Chinese owner by January 19. Federal lawmakers were concerned that TikTok’s Chinese ties posed a national security risk. The law also threatened steep financial penalties for app store operators and internet hosting companies that distributed or maintained TikTok.
Trump’s executive order instructed the Justice Department to refrain from enforcing the law for 75 days while his administration pursued a resolution. This created confusion among technology companies. While Apple and Google kept TikTok out of their app stores, companies like Oracle resumed their work with TikTok after a brief shutdown in January.
Apple and Google did not comment beyond confirming they had reinstated the app. TikTok and a Justice Department spokesperson also declined to comment.
TikTok’s return to the app stores means it is once again operating as usual in the United States. This raised questions about whether Trump is respecting the rule of law or prioritizing executive power. Some experts believe this conflict could signal the beginning of a constitutional crisis. The Supreme Court unanimously upheld the law last month.
“If we get to 75 days without a deal, and Trump says we’ll continue to not enforce it, we will very much be in a crisis,” said Lindsay Gorman, the managing director of the technology program at the German Marshall Fund. “Then we’re dealing with larger issues than just TikTok; we’re talking about the relationship between the executive and legislative branches.”
On Thursday, Trump suggested he might extend the nonenforcement of the law banning TikTok. “I have 90 days from about two weeks ago, and I’m sure it can be extended, but let’s see,” he said, seemingly misquoting the time period stated in his executive order. “We have a lot of people interested in TikTok.”
Lawmakers and intelligence officials have long expressed concerns that ByteDance could share sensitive U.S. user data with Beijing. They also worry that China could use TikTok’s content recommendations to spread misinformation.
TikTok has rejected these concerns, stating there is no evidence of such activities occurring in the U.S.
Since the law’s implementation last month, TikTok — which claims 170 million U.S. users — has remained largely unaffected on American phones that had already downloaded the app. However, some TikTok creators reported glitches they believed were linked to the app’s absence from app stores. This includes issues with livestreaming and digital coins, which users can buy and send to creators they like.
Trump had promised during his campaign to save TikTok and has said he would help orchestrate a deal that would keep the app in the U.S. However, it remains unclear how his administration will navigate the legal constraints that require a sale and prohibit Chinese ownership of more than 20% of TikTok.
ByteDance has insisted for years that it cannot sell the app, partly due to the Chinese government’s restrictions on exporting TikTok’s essential algorithm.
On Tuesday, TikTok executives told creators in a briefing call that they were optimistic Apple and Google would soon reinstate the app. H. Lee Justine, a TikTok creator, who attended the call, said,
“They said that the administration had given them a lot of information that they wouldn’t be penalized and that they were hopeful they would put it back in the app stores any day now. This gives me hope that long term, there won’t be issues, and this will work out.”
Last month, President Trump attempted to pause enforcement of the TikTok ban with an executive order. However, Apple and Google were reluctant to bring TikTok back until they were certain they were not breaking the law.
Apple and Google recently received letters from the Justice Department assuring them that they would not face fines for carrying TikTok in their app stores. This was based on written guidance provided in response to the executive order signed by President Trump.
The law, signed last year by President Biden, required TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, to sell the app to a non-Chinese owner by January 19. Federal lawmakers were concerned that TikTok’s Chinese ties posed a national security risk. The law also threatened steep financial penalties for app store operators and internet hosting companies that distributed or maintained TikTok.
Trump’s executive order instructed the Justice Department to refrain from enforcing the law for 75 days while his administration pursued a resolution. This created confusion among technology companies. While Apple and Google kept TikTok out of their app stores, companies like Oracle resumed their work with TikTok after a brief shutdown in January.
Apple and Google did not comment beyond confirming they had reinstated the app. TikTok and a Justice Department spokesperson also declined to comment.
TikTok’s return to the app stores means it is once again operating as usual in the United States. This raised questions about whether Trump is respecting the rule of law or prioritizing executive power. Some experts believe this conflict could signal the beginning of a constitutional crisis. The Supreme Court unanimously upheld the law last month.
“If we get to 75 days without a deal, and Trump says we’ll continue to not enforce it, we will very much be in a crisis,” said Lindsay Gorman, the managing director of the technology program at the German Marshall Fund. “Then we’re dealing with larger issues than just TikTok; we’re talking about the relationship between the executive and legislative branches.”
On Thursday, Trump suggested he might extend the nonenforcement of the law banning TikTok. “I have 90 days from about two weeks ago, and I’m sure it can be extended, but let’s see,” he said, seemingly misquoting the time period stated in his executive order. “We have a lot of people interested in TikTok.”
Lawmakers and intelligence officials have long expressed concerns that ByteDance could share sensitive U.S. user data with Beijing. They also worry that China could use TikTok’s content recommendations to spread misinformation.
TikTok has rejected these concerns, stating there is no evidence of such activities occurring in the U.S.
Since the law’s implementation last month, TikTok — which claims 170 million U.S. users — has remained largely unaffected on American phones that had already downloaded the app. However, some TikTok creators reported glitches they believed were linked to the app’s absence from app stores. This includes issues with livestreaming and digital coins, which users can buy and send to creators they like.
Trump had promised during his campaign to save TikTok and has said he would help orchestrate a deal that would keep the app in the U.S. However, it remains unclear how his administration will navigate the legal constraints that require a sale and prohibit Chinese ownership of more than 20% of TikTok.
ByteDance has insisted for years that it cannot sell the app, partly due to the Chinese government’s restrictions on exporting TikTok’s essential algorithm.
On Tuesday, TikTok executives told creators in a briefing call that they were optimistic Apple and Google would soon reinstate the app. H. Lee Justine, a TikTok creator, who attended the call, said,
“They said that the administration had given them a lot of information that they wouldn’t be penalized and that they were hopeful they would put it back in the app stores any day now. This gives me hope that long term, there won’t be issues, and this will work out.”
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