Why TikTok disappeared from US app stores
Posted: Sat Apr 05, 2025 10:12 am
The drama between TikTok and the United States goes way back. It began in 2020 , when then-President Donald Trump issued an executive order intending to ban the social network in the country, citing national security concerns. The conflict continued to escalate and mutate, until April 2024 , when Joe Biden , the president at the time, signed the ban bill , and it was approved by the Senate.
Despite TikTok's attempts to stop the law, it was phone number library to go into effect on January 19, 2025. On January 18, TikTok suspended its services in the United States , leaving its more than 170 million users without access to the platform. In addition, app stores removed the social network from their catalogs in the country.
The situation took a turn on January 19 when Donald Trump himself , the initial proponent of blocking TikTok and who would resume the presidency the following day, announced that he would delay the shutdown of the Chinese app to facilitate a solution and avoid its ban. In response, TikTok reinstated its services in the United States.
However, Apple and Google did not immediately relist the Chinese social network in their app stores . This decision was motivated by the confusion surrounding the situation and fear of potential sanctions , as the law had only been postponed, not repealed.
This meant that US users who hadn't uninstalled TikTok from their devices were able to continue using it, but those who deleted it had no way to reinstall it. Until now.
Despite TikTok's attempts to stop the law, it was phone number library to go into effect on January 19, 2025. On January 18, TikTok suspended its services in the United States , leaving its more than 170 million users without access to the platform. In addition, app stores removed the social network from their catalogs in the country.
The situation took a turn on January 19 when Donald Trump himself , the initial proponent of blocking TikTok and who would resume the presidency the following day, announced that he would delay the shutdown of the Chinese app to facilitate a solution and avoid its ban. In response, TikTok reinstated its services in the United States.
However, Apple and Google did not immediately relist the Chinese social network in their app stores . This decision was motivated by the confusion surrounding the situation and fear of potential sanctions , as the law had only been postponed, not repealed.
This meant that US users who hadn't uninstalled TikTok from their devices were able to continue using it, but those who deleted it had no way to reinstall it. Until now.