TikTokApple and Google removed TikTok and other ByteDance-owned apps in preparation for its January 19, 2025 ban, but they’ve since been made available again. So, when did TikTok return to the App Store?
At 10:30 pm EST on January 18, TikTok went dark as the platform prepared for the law to go into effect, which banned the platform in the United States.
Alongside the service outage, Apple and Google removed TikTok, Lemon8, CapCut, Marvel Snap, and several other apps from their app stores as the law ordered both companies to cease offering access to the apps.
Service returned to TikTok just 14 hours later, but the app remained unavailable for anyone who removed it from their device to re-download. Now, both Google and Apple have reinstated TikTok and the rest of ByteDance’s apps to their respective stores.
TikTok has now returned to the App Store
On the evening of February 13, 2025, Apple and Google made TikTok, CapCut, and the rest of ByteDance’s apps available to download yet again.
This came after US Attorney General Pam Bondi sent a letter to both companies confirming that neither Apple nor Google would be subject to the $5,000 fines mentioned in the TikTok ban bill passed by Congress back in 2024.
Wayback Machine/Apple App StoreOn January 20, 2025, President Trump signed a bill ordering that the TikTok ban bill not be enforced for 75 days – which ends on April 5. With that order, companies who provide access to the app will not face the $5,000 per person fines.
ByteDance is required to sell its shares of TikTok before that date, or face being banned in the United States yet again – meaning the apps may be removed again in the future.
We’ll keep this article updated as news continues to change regarding TikTok’s status in the Apple and Google app stores. For more information about the TikTok ban, check out our hub.
