No, TikTok Isn’t Back in the App Store

If you preemptively deleted TikTok under the assumption that it would be banned for longer than 14 hours, sorry you’re experiencing FOMO right now. After President Trump announced he would pass an executive order to save the app on Sunday, TikTok returned, and the vibes were a little off. Then a bunch of influencers confessed to lying for years, and now the app is back. But what about everyone who deleted TikTok or didn’t have it downloaded in the first place? Can they come back at all? It may be a while before TikTok can welcome new users. The app is still not available on the Apple App Store or Google Play. A statement on Apple’s website clarifies its position on TikTok: “Apple is obligated to follow the laws in the jurisdictions where it operates. Pursuant to the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, apps developed by ByteDance Ltd. and its subsidiaries — including TikTok, CapCut, Lemon8, and others — will no longer be available for download or updates on the App Store for users in the United States starting January 19, 2025.” Vulture has reached out to Apple for comment.

As for when TikTok will be available to download or update once again: Who’s to say. The law states that providers like Oracle, Apple, and Google would be fined for having the app available, not the users, so companies have no incentive to get TikTok back into the app stores during the 75-day extension. If you really want to use TikTok, you can try using the web-browser version in the meantime.

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