TikTok is once again available for download from the App Store, which means it can be installed on iPhones and will be able to receive updates. Apple’s decision to start distributing TikTok again comes after a letter sent from U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, according to Bloomberg, but the letter has not been shared.
Apple removed TikTok from the U.S. App Store on January 18, just ahead of when a law banning TikTok went into effect on January 19.
The Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act that led to TikTok being removed from the App Store was first passed in April 2024, and it gave TikTok parent company ByteDance a nine month period to sell the app to a non-Chinese company.
ByteDance fought against the law, claiming that it was unconstitutional and violated the First Amendment, but U.S. courts, including the Supreme Court, were not swayed by the argument.
U.S. President Donald Trump gave TikTok a reprieve by ordering the Department of Justice not to enforce the law for a 90-day period, but Apple did not return the app to the App Store. In a support document explaining TikTok’s removal, Apple said that it is “obligated to follow the laws in the jurisdictions where it operates.”
Even with the DoJ not technically enforcing the law, it is still a law, and Apple was likely concerned about facing future penalties. Nothing has changed with TikTok as of yet, and the law continues to be in place, but the DoJ has tried to assure Apple that it will not face consequences for allowing TikTok downloads. Apple appears to have been persuaded.
While TikTok has been absent from the App Store for the last month, the social network has remained functional and those who previously downloaded TikTok have been able to continue to use the app.
The Trump administration is attempting to work out a deal that would see TikTok sold to a U.S. buyer, and Vice President J.D. Vance has reportedly been tasked with securing a deal. The Chinese government has maintained that it will not allow TikTok to be sold, which complicates the matter, plus Trump has recently levied an additional 10 percent tariff on Chinese imports.
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