TikTok has returned to the app stores of Apple and Google in the United States after President Donald Trump delayed the enforcement of a ban on the popular social media app, operated by Chinese technology firm ByteDance.
The app’s fate had been up in the air since a law requiring its Chinese owner to either sell it on national security grounds or face a ban taking effect on January 19. TikTok, which has more than 170 million American users, was removed from Apple and Google’s app stores on January 18 to comply with the law.
After taking office on January 20, Trump signed an executive order seeking to delay by 75 days the enforcement of the law. However, Apple and Google had not made TikTok available on their app stores until now.
The video-sharing app has long faced troubles in the US, with the government claiming that its Chinese ownership and access to the data of millions of Americans makes it a national security risk.
The ban was passed due to concerns that the Chinese government could exploit the app to spy on Americans or covertly influence US public opinion through data collection and content manipulation.
Its owner denied allegations that it has shared US user data at the behest of the Chinese government and argued that the law requiring it to be divested or banned violates the First Amendment rights of its American users.
Trump has suggested that TikTok could be jointly owned, with half of its ownership being American.
In remarks to reporters in the Oval Office on Thursday, Trump said he still hoped to make a deal to keep the app alive in the US, crediting it with helping him win the 2024 presidential election.
Trump said he believed Chinese President Xi Jinping would agree to approve the sale of TikTok to a US buyer as it would also be in China’s interest.
“I’m going to make it worthwhile for China to do,” he said, without giving any details. “I think it would be to China’s advantage to have the deal be made.”
