Abdelrahman
HONG KONG (AP) — TikTok has made its return to the Apple and Google app stores in the United States, following a delay by President Donald Trump regarding the enforcement of a ban on the app.
The popular social media platform, owned by the Chinese tech company ByteDance, was initially removed from both app stores on January 18 due to a law mandating that ByteDance divest its ownership of TikTok or face a ban in the U.S.
A spokesperson for Google opted not to comment on the company’s recent decision, while Apple has yet to respond to inquiries about the situation.
With over 170 million users in the U.S., TikTok briefly halted its services for less than 24 hours before resuming operations after receiving assurances from Trump that he would postpone the app’s ban. This temporary suspension led thousands of users to shift to RedNote, a Chinese social media platform, referring to themselves as “TikTok refugees.”
After almost a month, TikTok is once again available for download in both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store. On his first day in office, Trump signed an executive order that extended the TikTok ban enforcement date to April 5.
The app has faced ongoing scrutiny in the U.S., with officials expressing concerns about its Chinese ownership and the potential access to data from millions of Americans, which they deem a national security threat.
TikTok has disputed claims that it shares user data with the Chinese government and contends that the requirement for divestiture or a ban infringes on the First Amendment rights of American users.
During his first term, President Trump supported a ban on TikTok but later reversed his stance, expressing a fondness for the app. Notably, TikTok CEO Shou Chew was present at Trump’s inauguration ceremony.
Trump has proposed that TikTok could be partially owned by American interests. Potential investors mentioned include real estate entrepreneur Frank McCourt, Shark Tank’s Kevin O’Leary, and popular YouTuber Jimmy Donaldson, known as MrBeast.
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Associated Press journalist Haleluya Hadero contributed to this article.
