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
Yahoo
13 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Trump's first term shows why markets are cautious on the China trade deal
The stock market was largely unmoved by the trade agreement the US struck with China. Market pros say investors expect the trade war to unfold much as it did during Trump's first term. The US and China made scant progress on key issues in their 2018-2019 trade dispute. The stock market has been encouraged by easing tensions between the US and China in recent weeks, but investors were largely unmoved by the announcement of a trade deal between the superpowers on Tuesday. US stock futures failed to climb on news of the deal late Tuesday evening. While markets are edging higher on Wednesday, that's largely because the consumer price index report for May showed inflation was tamer than expected at 2.4% year-over-year. Here's where major indexes stood at 10:20 a.m. ET: S&P 500: 6,055.26, up 0.28% Dow Jones Industrial Average: 42,997.65, up 0.31% (+130.78 points) Nasdaq Composite: 19,788.36, up 0.37% On the trade front, observers say it's looking more likely that the trade war will shake out like it did during President Donald Trump's first term, with talk of constructive deals even as tensions remain elevated. Simply put, investors see a long and winding path ahead, and knee-jerk reactions to trade announcements have largely subsided since the chaos of "Liberation Day" in April. The framework agreement announced on Tuesday outlines how the two nations will continue trade talks. Importantly, it involves China allowing exports of rare earth minerals, while the US eases up on restrictions for exports of advanced tech to China, like semiconductors. This embedded content is not available in your region. The reaction is far more muted than how the market reacted last month, when stocks popped after the US struck a rough framework deal with China that lowered tariffs between the nations for 90 days. Art Hogan, the chief market strategist at B. Riley Wealth, told Business Insider that markets are reacting to trade talks similarly to when the US-China trade war first kicked off in 2018. He pointed to regular pullbacks in stocks during Trump's first term as traders digested the lack of progress in US-China negotiations. "We still have that muscle memory from Trump 1.0, that dealing with China is difficult and there's a multitude of issues," Hogan said. "I don't think we're going to solve this in short order and likely never solve it in the longer term." He added that markets are likely waiting for a more positive catalyst, pointing to more than 100 nations that have yet to strike a trade deal with the US. Peter Berezin, the chief global strategist at BCA Research, said the framework made only small progress on negotiations with China. "I would say that the 'deal' in London simply restores things to how they were right after Geneva," he told BI in an email. He added that he expected tariffs on China to remain high "for the foreseeable future." Strategists at Deutsche Bank also said that tariff talks appear to mirror the 2018-2019 period, when the US and China didn't make much headway in resolving key issues. Back then, the US said that China had unfair trade practices related to industries like agriculture and manufacturing. It also said China had unfairly transferred technology and stolen intellectual property from the US. Deutsche Bank pointed out that the agreement announced Tuesday skipped over fentanyl-related tariffs that Trump implemented against China earlier this year. "So while the mood music has stayed positive, investors may be wary of the pattern that emerged during the previous US-China trade talks in 2018-19," strategists wrote. "So there's perhaps a little disappointment this morning that we haven't yet got a bigger announcement." The agreement also appeared to lack detail that markets were looking for, David Morrison, a senior market analyst at Trade Nation, wrote in a note. "The big question is what kind of trade deals can the US negotiate that will be good enough to get the indices to fresh records?" he said. US stocks have whipsawed this year amid the turmoil surrounding tariffs and incremental news of trade agreements between the US and other countries. Indexes have erased their steep losses since the April 2 tariff announcements, with major averages now positive year-to-date. Read the original article on Business Insider
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Why Qualcomm's (QCOM) Long-Term Prospects Shine, Even if the Stock Doesn't
Qualcomm (QCOM) has underperformed over the past year, declining 26%, primarily due to macroeconomic factors rather than internal company mechanics. Although the company's fundamentals remain very solid, it has faced some headwinds, such as concerns that its business is too concentrated on Apple (AAPL) for modem revenue, despite its broader operations still being more rooted in the Android ecosystem. Easily unpack a company's performance with TipRanks' new KPI Data for smart investment decisions Receive undervalued, market resilient stocks right to your inbox with TipRanks' Smart Value Newsletter Still, that doesn't stop me from seeing the stock as a long-term Buy—especially since my bullishness comes from Qualcomm's key competitive advantage: its ability to build the Snapdragon platform, which integrates a modem, CPU, and even a GPU chip—something no other competitor can currently match. This positions the company to tap into new business opportunities that could help offset its current customer concentration. Beyond that, Qualcomm's asset-light model allows it to generate very high returns on its investments, highlighting its operational efficiency, strong financial health, and consistent value creation for shareholders. This helps justify the company trading at a slightly stretched valuation when considering its operational profits relative to enterprise value. When looking for value stocks, one of the most important factors—if not the most important—is a company's ability to generate consistent earnings. Examining QCOM's balance sheet reveals a capital-light, high-margin model driven by intellectual property (IP) and characterized by heavy investment in research and development (R&D). As a fabless semiconductor company, Qualcomm relies on external manufacturing partners such as TSMC (TSM) and Samsung (SSNLF) for chip production. Notably, only approximately 7% of its $55.3 billion in total assets is allocated to property, plant, and equipment (PP&E), which is relatively low compared to the industry average. This underscores the efficiency of its asset-light business model and the minimal physical infrastructure required to support its operations. Roughly 18% of its assets are classified as goodwill, indicating a strong track record of acquisitions, which is clearly part of its strategy to acquire intellectual property (IP) or talent rather than build everything in-house. One recent example is the $2.4 billion acquisition of the UK-based semiconductor firm Alphawave. Additionally, approximately 12% of Qualcomm's total assets are tied to IP licensing and chip design. That makes sense, given its dominant position in the Android smartphone chip market, especially in the high-end segment with its Snapdragon lineup. Given that around 37% of Qualcomm's total assets are intangible, it's worth considering the company's actual operational efficiency once these intangibles are excluded. To gain a clearer picture, it is sensible to examine how Qualcomm allocates its limited tangible capital to generate profits. Over the past twelve months, Qualcomm produced an operating profit of $12.3 billion. During the same period, its net working capital was approximately $2.7 billion, and its invested capital—mainly property, plant, and equipment, and other intangibles—totaled roughly $8.28 billion. Dividing the operating profit by this invested capital plus working capital yields an eye-catching ~112% return on capital (ROC). That kind of number highlights Qualcomm's exceptional operational efficiency, something typically only seen in asset-light, IP-driven tech or software companies. For context, most of these firms operate with a return on capital (ROC) well below 50%. In short, despite a balance sheet loaded with intangibles, Qualcomm proves that it's highly efficient with the real capital it uses. And that translates into three key advantages: sustainable value creation, a durable competitive moat, and stronger financial flexibility. Even a company with a high return on capital isn't necessarily a buy—not if you're overpaying for it. That's why it's vital to assess operating profitability in relation to the company's total valuation, not just traditional P/E or P/B metrics. One way to do this is by comparing operating profit to enterprise value (EV), which reflects what the market is actually paying for the entire business. In Qualcomm's case, we can measure this by dividing its operating profit by its enterprise value (EV). Over the last twelve months, Qualcomm generated $12.3 billion in operating profit, while its current enterprise value stands at $164.6 billion. That results in an earnings yield of 7.5%. To interpret that number correctly, it should be compared to Qualcomm's cost of capital. Using a 10-year treasury yield of 4.5%, a beta of 1.2, and an equity risk premium of 4–5%, the estimated cost of equity falls between 9% and 10%. Since the earnings yield of 7.5% is below this range, Qualcomm doesn't appear particularly cheap at the moment. However, judged against historic performance against the S&P 500 (SPX), QCOM stock has underperformed. That said, this isn't necessarily a red flag. Even if the stock looks a bit expensive on this metric, Qualcomm continues to create value through its exceptional return on capital and strong cash generation. This is reflected in its sustainable 2.28% dividend yield and $16.5 billion in share buybacks over the past four years. Given Qualcomm's maturity, profitability, and operational efficiency, a lower earnings yield may be viewed as acceptable, reflecting a premium for quality and stability. Analyst sentiment on Qualcomm stock is somewhat mixed. Out of 17 experts who've issued ratings in the past three months, eight are bullish, eight are neutral, and just one is bearish. Still, there's little hesitation when it comes to upside expectations. Qualcomm's average stock price target is at $177.75, suggesting ~14% in potential upside over the next twelve months. While traditional valuation metrics may indicate that Qualcomm is undervalued, I believe that perspective overlooks the company's strong operational efficiency. Qualcomm doesn't need to appear 'cheap' to represent a compelling investment opportunity. Its robust, above-average returns on capital, driven by an asset-light business model, demonstrate its ability to create substantial shareholder value and may, in fact, justify a valuation premium. Viewed through this fundamental lens, and given Qualcomm's consistent track record of long-term value creation, I consider it a solid long-term investment, even at its current, relatively full valuation. Disclaimer & DisclosureReport an Issue 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
New York Post
21 minutes ago
- New York Post
Three cheers for the US-China trade war ceasefire
Yay! High-level US-China talks in London this week reached a trade-war ceasefire, offering some stability for nervous markets. Days of talks, following on President Donald Trump's call with China's Xi Jinping last Thursday, settled on a framework that leaves a 55% US tariff on Chinese goods and a 10% Chinese levy on American imports. Plus, Beijing will ease restrictions on rare-earth exports while Washington will back off on its developing ban on Chinese students attending American universities. Plenty of issues remain: China's key role in world fentanyl production, for one thing; its long history of intellectual-property theft, currency manipulation and so on. Not to mention the outright espionage that so many of those students are dragged into. And of course in the longer term the United States needs to be less dependent on China for rare earths, pharmaceutical precursors and many other critical needs. The two sides are supposed to reach a comprehensive deal by Aug. 10, but at least the summer should be calm. The chaos of on-again, off-again tariffs had led to turbulence in US markets and had mom-and-pop shops bracing for 'the end'; now they can plan at least a couple of months ahead, with solid reason to hope the worst is over. US businesses can adapt to 55% tariffs on Chinese goods, as long as they've got some certainty that the rate will remain stable. Kudos to Treasury and Commerce Secretaries Scott Bessent and Howard Lutnick, the top US negotiators in London, for mastering 'the art of the framework'; let's hope Trump and Xi can close a final deal.
