TikTok is back in US App Stores
Bloomberg reported Thursday that Apple and Google brought back the Chinese-owned video app after receiving a letter from US Attorney General Pam Bondi assuring them they would not be fined for hosting it. Apple and Google brought back the Chinese-owned video app after receiving a letter from US attorney general Pam Bondi assuring the companies they would not be fined for hosting it, Bloomberg first reported Thursday.
Google confirmed to WIRED it has brought TikTok back, but didn’t immediately elaborate on the reason. Apple, TikTok and the Department of Justice did not immediately respond to comments. Bondi took office last week.
The TikTok return ends a turbulent few weeks. On January 19, the platform was removed from US app stores, and users across the country were left in darkness. This happened just hours before a ban came into effect. Later that day, it came back to life after TikTok executives were assured by then-president-elect Donald Trump he would give more time to reach a solution. If you already had the app on your phone, it was functioning normally by that same afternoon.
After Trump took office on January 20, one of his first executive orders gave TikTok a reprieve. The order stated that “I instruct the Attorney General to not take any action to implement the Act for 75 days, to give my Administration the opportunity to determine what the appropriate course of action is.” The reason is that the law which underpins the TikTok Ban, the Protecting Americans From Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, states that American tech companies cannot “distribute or maintain” any apps by ByteDance (the parent company of TikTok). The fines for those who do so are hefty. This means that not only TikTok, but also a dozen apps like Lemon8, CapCut and Marvel Snap have been unavailable for download for more than three weeks. These apps were also restored to the app store on Thursday. The Google Play Store, meanwhile, said that “Downloads for this app are paused due to current US legal requirements.” Searchers were directed to competitor apps which saw a spike in usage. The Google Play Store, meanwhile, said, “Downloads for this app are paused due to current US legal requirements.” Searchers were directed to competitor apps, several of which saw a bump in usage.
PAFACA allows the president to extend the deadline for banning TikTok by 90 days if he certifies to Congress that “significant progress” has been made toward a deal to sell the app to a non-Chinese company.
Right before taking office, Trump proposed that the US could have 50 percent ownership of TikTok, without specifying what he meant. According to reports, the president recently appointed Vice President JDVance to negotiate with ByteDance on behalf of potential buyers. Oracle and other investors would be reported to take control of ByteDance in one scenario.
