TikTok gave Android users a way to bypass the US ban on downloading the app. Here's how to do it.
TikTok is still unavailable in app stores in the US.
The company is offering an Android package kit to download the app.
TikTok Lite lets users watch content, follow creators, and interact with their content.
TikTok created a way for users to download the app on Android even though it is still unavailable in app stores inside the United States.
This week TikTok announced an Android package kit that allows users to download TikTok and TikTok Lite, the company's alternative app with limited features for optimized performance and less data usage.
TikTok Lite lets users watch content, follow creators, and interact with their content, but some features like livestreams and the TikTok Shop are not available on the app. Some other social media companies like Facebook also offer lite versions of their apps that use less data.
"Since TikTok is temporarily unavailable to download in app stores in the US, we're enhancing ways for you to continue using TikTok if you don't have the app installed on your mobile device," the company said on its website.
Android users can download the app by visiting TikTok.com/download. When visiting the app on a mobile device, tap "download" and then follow the instructions to download the app.
TikTok recommends only downloading the app from TikTok's website — not through any QR codes — to avoid malware.
TikTok has been absent from US app stores since the app briefly "went dark" on January 19 after the Supreme Court upheld a law banning the app inside the country. The law required TikTok's Chinese parent company, ByteDance, to divest from the company and find an American buyer for the app.
Proponents of the law have criticized TikTok as harmful to children and raised concerns about ByteDance having control of American's personal data. In 2020, TikTok entered a deal with US software company, Oracle, to store TikTok's US user data in the Oracle Cloud.
TikTok said on its website that its "robust protocols" remain in place for the versions of its apps that can be downloaded through the Android package kit to ensure they are "safe and secure."
"Oracle and our Independent Security Inspectors continue to have access to our app's source code and can review it for potential vulnerabilities through technical security testing and validation of the TikTok US Platform," the company said.
ByteDance has made no public comment on the potential sale of TikTok since President Donald Trump gave the company a 75-day extension to find an American buyer last month. In April 2024, ByteDance, said it would rather shut down TikTok in the US than sell it.
iPhone users can still put a shortcut to the TikTok mobile website on their homepage if the app is not already installed on their phone. To add TikTok to the iPhone home screen, navigate to the Safari app, go to TikTok's website, and then press "add TikTok to home screen" to add a shortcut to the website.
TikTok did not immediately return a request for comment from Business Insider.
Read the original article on Business Insider

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


The Hill
23 minutes ago
- The Hill
Liquid Glass: What is Apple's new design feature, and when is it available?
(NEXSTAR) — If you're an Apple fanatic, Monday was a big day for you as the California company held its annual showcase, unveiling its next major software update. As it often does, one design feature expected to appear in that update is already catching attention: Liquid Glass. The update itself, iOS 26, includes numerous features, like Call Screenings on iPhone and expanded Apple Intelligence capabilities. It will also offer new layouts and redesigns for Apple tech. Apple's last major update, iOS 18, brought personalization options iPhone users had hardly been able to experience before. Home screen apps and widgets could be moved and placed more fluidly, and even tinted to certain colors. Liquid Glass will, in a sense, go in the opposite direction of the latter. Described as 'a new translucent material that reflects and refracts its surroundings' by Apple, Liquid Glass is meant to bring 'greater focus to content, and [deliver] a new level of vitality across controls, navigation, app icons, widgets, and more.' The design will be available across all of the company's platforms (as long as your device is eligible to receive iOS 26) and, most notably, will make menus and toolbars transparent. 'It beautifully refracts light and dynamically reacts to your movement with specular highlights,' Alan Dye, the vice president of human interface for Apple, explained in a video shared by the company on Monday. When it becomes available, Liquid Glass will also round the corners of otherwise rectangular features, like the bottom bar of your Notes app. It can work with the aforementioned personalization released during iOS 18 or as a standalone design option, according to Dye. As satisfying as it may sound, some have expressed concerns about the design. Users on Reddit pointed to the contrast, which some said made portions of the text 'unreadable.' Others said they hoped they'd be able to turn it off. Some also pointed to the similarities between Liquid Glass and Windows Aero, the design language brought to Microsoft Windows Vista in 2006. You may remember this update, which made aspects like the top of an Internet Explorer tab or other Windows software appear glass-like. You can see a newer version of that feature in the image below. It's possible that Apple will tweak the Liquid Glass feature before iOS 26 is released in fall. If you participate in the Apple Developer Program, you can test Liquid Glass and other iOS 26 features now. If you're in the Apple Beta Software Program, you'll be able to experience a public beta version of iOS 26 next month, according to Apple. Other Apple users will need to wait a few months to get the new software. Apple didn't have an exact date for the release of iOS 26, but if it is like previous updates, it will likely be available around September.
Yahoo
28 minutes ago
- Yahoo
China is only 3-6 months behind US in AI, Trump official says
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -China is three to six months behind the United States in artificial intelligence, White house AI and crypto czar David Sacks said Tuesday at an event in Washington, warning that excess U.S. AI regulation could damage American innovation in the industry. "China is not years and years behind us in AI. Maybe they're 3-6 months,' said Sacks, speaking at the AWS summit in Washington. "It's a very close race."
Yahoo
30 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Small Business Owners Say Taxes Are Their Biggest Worry
Taxes were the biggest worry for small business owners in May, the monthly small business optimism survey showed. The survey results come as Congress continues to debate President Donald Trump's 'Big, Beautiful' budget bill, which has been criticized for adding to the deficit. Overall, the NFIB Small Business Optimism Index increased for the first time this year to reach 98.8, after declining on tariff Congress continues to debate President Donald Trump's signature legislative proposal, small business owners are becoming increasingly worried about the lack of clarity on taxes. The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) monthly survey on small business optimism showed that taxes are the top concern for many business owners, as inflation worries ebbed. It also found that uncertainty among small business owners rose as tariff and tax policies remained unclear. 'The economy will continue to stumble along until the major sources of uncertainty are resolved. It's hard to steer a ship in the fog,' the report said. Overall, the NFIB said small business optimism increased for the first time this year, coming in at 98.8 in May after declining in March and April amid ongoing concerns over U.S. tariffs. The report showed that tariffs didn't fuel as much inflation anxiety among business owners as they have for consumers. Instead, taxes were the top concern for 18% of business owners in May, outranking both inflation and labor quality. Inflation is frequently the top concern for small businesses, and remained the biggest worry for 14% of owners in May. Taxes haven't been the biggest concern for business owners since 2020, the report showed. 'This issue will likely remain top of mind for small firms over the next couple of months as Congress irons out the details of its tax and spending bill,' wrote Wells Fargo economists Jackie Benson and Ali Hajibeigi. The report comes as Congress considers Trump's 'Big, Beautiful' budget bill, which would extend many tax cuts that were first enacted in 2017. While the bill passed the House of Representatives by only one vote, some senators have raised questions about its spending cuts. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, once a Trump ally, has also criticized the legislation as an abomination due to projections that it will increase the budget deficit. 'Congress hasn't passed the Big Beautiful Bill yet, and Trump is still messing with tariffs; the uncertainty level is rising,' the report said. 'While tariffs might be a bumpy road while countries negotiate trade deals, Congress can do its part by passing the BBB sooner rather than later to take that piece of uncertainty off the table.' Read the original article on Investopedia Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data