TikTok is once again available for download in the US on both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, nearly a month after a nationwide ban took effect on January 19. The app’s return follows assurances from new US Attorney General Pam Bondi, who issued letters to Google and Apple stating they would not face fines for hosting the app. Previously, both companies risked penalties of $5,000 per user for allowing TikTok downloads.
However, Google has indicated that it will only keep TikTok in its store until April 5, when President Trump’s 75-day extension on the ban expires, according to Axios.
The ban briefly went into effect on the evening of January 18, causing TikTok to disappear from app stores. However, it was quickly restored after President Trump announced he would delay the ban’s implementation. On January 19, Trump signed an executive order instructing the Attorney General not to enforce the ban for 75 days, stating that the delay would allow time to “pursue a resolution that protects national security while saving a platform used by 170 million Americans.”
During the brief period when TikTok was unavailable, users who deleted the app had no official way to reinstall it. TikTok encouraged Android users to sideload the app, while some eBay sellers capitalized on the situation by listing phones with TikTok pre-installed for as much as $50,000.
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