Why is TikTok not in the app store? Trump's extension of the ban falls into 'gray area'

USA Today

31-01-2025

More than 10 days after TikTok operations were restored in the U.S., the popular social media app has yet to reappear on app stores.
TikTok went dark for U.S. users for about 12 hours before becoming available again Jan. 19 — an event which has been credited to President Trump. On his first day in office, Trump issued an executive order to extend the ban on TikTok, implemented by former President Joe Biden last year. The order granted a 75-day extension, which Trump said will allow him to consult with his advisors and heads of "relevant" departments and agencies to address national security concerns posed by TikTok.
Users who already had the app downloaded onto their devices were able to jump back into TikTok after the ban was reversed. However, those who hadn't yet downloaded it or had deleted the app seem to be unable to get it back.
Android users who search for TikTok in the Google Play Store are greeted with an unclickable icon of the app logo along with a query: "Looking for TikTok?" Underneath is a message reading, "Downloads for this app are paused due to current U.S. legal requirements."
Apple users are met with a similar notice reading, "TikTok and other ByteDance apps are not available in the country or region you're in." A prompt to "learn more" takes users to a support page with additional information about the availability of TikTok and other apps owned by ByteDance in the U.S. "Apple is obligated to follow the laws in the jurisdictions where it operates," the message reads, citing the law that went into effect Jan. 19.
Trump's extension of TikTok ban falls into 'gray area,' experts say
Ben Sperry, senior scholar at the International Center for Law & Economics, said the executive order falls into a "gray area." Under federal law, it remains illegal for U.S. companies, like internet hosting services and app stores, to maintain, distribute and update TikTok, as the platform remains owned by Chinese company ByteDance. However, Trump's order invites companies to "break" this law, under the impression they will not face repercussions, Sperry said.
Under the executive order, Trump ordered the U.S. Attorney General not to enforce the ban, starting by writing letters to providers who have been supporting TikTok, informing them that they will not face repercussions.
Under federal legislation, which remains in place despite Trump's order, companies could be fined $5,000 per user they help access TikTok. For Google and Apple, this could mean a $5,000 fine for each user who downloads or updates TikTok. For internet hosting services like Oracle, it could mean a $5,000 fine for each user that accesses TikTok using their services.
To break that down, if reportedly 170 million Americans use TikTok and companies could be charged $5,000 per user, that amounts to about $850 billion in fines spread across different types of tech companies.
Even for tech giants like Google, Apple and Oracle, these are "hefty fines" they could be facing, Sperry said.
TikTok ban reversal: Why did Trump bring back TikTok?
As one of his first moves following his inauguration, President Donald Trump issued an executive order Monday aiming to halt enforcement of a ban on TikTok in the U.S. for 75 days.
"I intend to consult with my advisors, including the heads of relevant departments and agencies on the national security concerns posed by TikTok, and to pursue a resolution that protects national security while saving a platform used by 170 million Americans," Trump said in the executive order. "My Administration must also review sensitive intelligence related to those concerns and evaluate the sufficiency of mitigation measures TikTok has taken to date."
Trump's order comes days after Congress passed the ban with overwhelming bipartisan support, citing national security concerns. TikTok's owner, Beijing-based ByteDance, drew criticism after the U.S. Department of Justice said TikTok has access to American data and is sharing it with the Chinese government, and could manipulate the content on the app to shape American opinions.
The first ban was proposed by Trump himself in a 2020 executive order. His ban, which also gave ByteDance a deadline to sell to a U.S. company, coincidentally came a month after TikTokkers gleefully trolled him by organizing a campaign through the app to sign up for seats at his rallies, causing Trump to brag about the number of RSVPs received, and then not showing up.
While ByteDance was in negotiations to sell to Microsoft and Oracle, the company filed a request for a preliminary injunction to prevent the app from being banned and got it, so Trump's ban never went into effect.
Biden later revoked the order and ordered the Secretary of Commerce to investigate the app. In 2022, Biden signed a bill prohibiting the app on government devices. Following the Supreme Court's ruling last week, he signed legislation requiring ByteDance to sell TikTok's U.S. assets by Jan. 19, 2025.
Despite his actions five years ago, Trump seems to have had a change of heart concerning the video-sharing app.
"Because I got to use it," Trump told reporters Monday during a wide-ranging Oval Office media session when asked why he changed his mind about TikTok. "And remember, TikTok is largely about kids, young kids. If China is going to get information about young kids, I don't know. To be honest with you, I think we have bigger problems than that."
'I got to use it':Donald Trump's evolution from TikTok foe to a fan
Who bought TikTok in 2025? Did Meta buy TikTok? Did Elon Musk?
As of Wednesday, it remained unclear whether TikTok's U.S. operations were sold and, if so, to whom.
Some users have speculated that Meta bought the app, citing TikTok's feature that allows users to sync with their Facebook accounts. Others noticed Facebook has an official account on TikTok. However, Newsweek reports both of these happened some time ago.
Texas billionaire and Tesla CEO Elon Musk has also been the subject of speculation regarding TikTok's purchase. If TikTok were to merge with Musk's social media platform X, Musk would garner access to large amounts of data from TikTok — which could potentially feed into his separate artificial intelligence company, xAI.
Musk is also expected to head the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) created by Trump.
On Tuesday, Trump confirmed he would be open to Musk's purchase of TikTok. The president briefly spoke to reporters on the topic, Reuters reports.
"I have met with owners of TikTok, the big owners," Trump said. "So, what I am thinking about saying to somebody is 'buy it and give half to the United States of America.'"
Is TikTok getting banned again?
Maybe. Trump's executive order only delayed the app's ban, which Trump said had "unfortunate timing" and "interferes with my ability to assess the national security and foreign policy implications of the Act's prohibitions before they take effect. This timing also interferes with my ability to negotiate a resolution to avoid an abrupt shutdown of the TikTok platform while addressing national security concerns."
"I am instructing the Attorney General not to take any action to enforce the Act for a period of 75 days from today to allow my Administration an opportunity to determine the appropriate course forward in an orderly way that protects national security while avoiding an abrupt shutdown of a communications platform used by millions of Americans," Trump's executive order reads.
Who is the CEO of TikTok?
Singaporean business executive Shou Zi Chew is the current CEO of TikTok. He made a notable appearance at Trump's inauguration after praising Trump for his role in restoring TikTok to U.S. users.
"On behalf of everyone at TikTok and all our users across the country, I want to thank President Trump for his commitment to work with us to find a solution that keeps TikTok available in the United States," Chew said in a video Jan. 17.
— USA TODAY contributed to this report.