TikTok is back in Apple and Google app stores in the U.S., nearly a month after it was removed from them.
The social media app left the stores on Jan. 18, a day before its parent company ByteDance was required by federal law to sell it to a non-Chinese owner or be banned in the U.S. The app’s service also briefly shut down before President Trump took office and delayed the ban until April.
After receiving assurance from the Department of Justice that the ban would not be enforced, TikTok has reappeared in the app stores and is available to download again, according to The New York Times.
TikTok's future in the U.S. is still uncertain. Trump told reporters in January he's looking to have the U.S. government broker a deal for 50% control of the app, and would be open to Elon Musk or Oracle's Larry Ellison purchasing it. Trump said he believes the app is worth $1 trillion.
In February, Trump signed an executive order that called for the creation of a sovereign wealth fund, which he suggested could be used to purchase TikTok.
Trump tried to ban TikTok in his first term, citing national security concerns.
He reversed course last year, using the app to court younger voters and inviting TikTok CEO Shou Chew to his inauguration. A notification from TikTok following the end of its temporary ban in January read: “As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!”
