If there’s one app that had the roughest start to the year, it has to be TikTok. On January 19, TikTok went completely dark, impacting both Android and iOS users as it was removed from the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store. According to Business Insider, the Chinese social media platform had a user base of over 170 million in the U.S. at the time of its ban.
Though TikTok came back in less than 24 hours, it wasn’t reinstated in the U.S. app stores immediately. There were even reports of people selling their phones with TikTok pre-installed at incredibly high prices. Around a month later, the app finally came back on the Google Play Store and Apple’s App Store.
TikTok returns to the Google Play Store after nearly a month of dark phase
Before app stores could reinstate TikTok, the company officially listed its Android Package Kits (APKs) for TikTok and TikTok Lite. While this remains a legitimate way to install the app on Android devices, including Galaxy phones, you probably won’t need to go through that process anymore. TikTok is now officially back on the Google Play Store, as well as the Apple App Store for iPhones. You can download it here (open the link on your phone).
TikTok is making its return after U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi assured Apple that it wouldn’t face fines for hosting it, according to Bloomberg (via The Verge). Former President Trump has tasked Vice President JD Vance with overseeing talks for a potential sale of TikTok.
Although President Trump signed an executive order on January 20 to pause enforcement of the ban for 75 days, Apple and Google had previously been reluctant to bring TikTok back to their stores due to the risk of facing billions of dollars in fines. Now that the legal concerns have been addressed, the app is making its return.
The Biden administration had argued that China could use TikTok as a tool for spying or manipulation. However, both China and TikTok have consistently denied these allegations.
