TikTok, the immensely popular social media platform, is once again available on Apple and Google app stores in the United States. This development follows a period of uncertainty when the app went dark briefly last month as the deadline for an impending ban approached. The U.S. government had ordered ByteDance, TikTok's Chinese owner, to sell its U.S. operations to avert an outright ban. The app boasts over 170 million American users who can now continue enjoying its services.
The ban on TikTok had been signed into law by former President Joe Biden, following a bipartisan vote in Congress. Concerns over national security were at the heart of this decision, with the Biden administration arguing that TikTok could potentially be used by China for espionage and political manipulation. Both China and TikTok have consistently denied these allegations. To give TikTok more time, President Donald Trump signed an executive order granting a 75-day extension to comply with the law requiring a sale of the platform to a neutral party.
Beijing has previously dismissed calls for ByteDance to sell TikTok's U.S. operations. Despite these tensions, the app's availability was reinstated after Apple and Google received assurances from the Trump administration that they would not face liability, and that enforcement of the ban was not imminent. According to Bloomberg, these assurances played a crucial role in resuming TikTok's presence on U.S. app stores.
President Trump postponed the enforcement of the ban until April 5, providing a temporary reprieve for TikTok users in the United States. The looming deadline had triggered a brief blackout of the app in the U.S., leaving many users in limbo. However, with the platform's return, users can once again access its features on their smartphones and tablets.