WASHINGTON: TikTok returned to the US app stores of Apple and Google on Thursday as President Donald Trump delayed a ban on the Chinese-owned social media app and assured the tech giants they would not be fined for distributing or maintaining it.

The popular short video app used by nearly half of all Americans went dark briefly last month, before a law took effect on Jan 19 that requires its Chinese owner ByteDance either to sell it on national security grounds or face a ban. The following day, Trump signed an executive order seeking to delay the enforcement of the ban by 75 days, allowing TikTok to continue its operations in the US temporarily.

Although TikTok resumed service after Trump’s assurances, Google and Apple kept the app removed from their US app stores. TikTok, the second-most downloaded app in the US last year, said on Thursday that its latest app was now available for download.

The delay could have been because Google and Apple were awaiting assurances that they would not be prosecuted for hosting or distributing the app, according to analysts. Trump’s directive said the companies, which run mobile application stores or digital marketplaces where users can browse, download and update apps, would not face penalties for keeping the TikTok app up and running.

TikTok had more than 52 million downloads in 2024, according to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower. About 52 per cent of its total downloads were from Apple App Store, while 48pc were from Google Play in the US last year, Sensor Tower said.

The law that requires ByteDance to sell TikTok’s US assets or ultimately face a ban was signed by then President Joe Biden last April, triggered by national security concerns and fears that China could use the video-sharing app to spy on American users.

Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2025