TikTok restored to Apple App Store and Google Play as ban still looms without a deal

• The ban was proposed due to national security concerns regarding TikTok's Chinese ownership.
• The future of TikTok in the U.S. is uncertain, as parent company ByteDance has 50 days to sell its U.S. assets.
• Even if a sale occurs, the app may look different to American users due to potential changes in algorithms and terms of service.

TikTok was restored to the Apple App Store and Google Play on Thursday night following weeks of limbo after President Donald Trump's administration delayed a ban on the social media app.

The app, though accessible to users who had already downloaded, hasn't been available for download as questions remained about the potential enforcement of the ban. Android users were able to access the app directly from the TikTok website earlier in the day.

TikTok went dark for about 12 hours in on Jan. 18 after the Supreme Court denied parent company ByteDance's argument that a ban on the app infringes on users' free speech.

On his first day in office on Jan. 20, Trump issued an executive order that halted enforcement of the ban on the app for 75 days.

USA TODAY has reached out to Apple and Google for comment.

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Why did the US government want to ban TikTok?

In April 2024, Congress passed a ban on TikTok over concerns that the app and its Chinese-owned parent company ByteDance posed a serious threat to national security. Then-President Joe Biden signed the bill, which equired ByteDance to divest form its U.S. operation of TikTok in order for the app to continue in the country.

The ban also made it illegal to distribute the app through the Apple App and Google Play stores.

Trump has floated the idea of either X owner Elon Musk or Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison purchasing the app to avoid the ban, with the United States Government taking a major share.

"Let the United States of America own 50% of TikTok," Trump told a pre-inauguration crowd in January. "We're going to have a lot of bidders. The United States will do what we call a joint venture."

Is TikTok here to stay?

The long-term future of TikTok in the U.S. is still unclear. ByteDance still has 50 days as of Friday to make a deal to sell off its U.S. assets, though even a successful agreement may not result in a return of the TikTok as Americans know it. Some things, like the algorithm and terms of service, may be different.

What happened when users searched for TikTok in the Google store?

Android users who searched for TikTok in the Google Play Store before it was reinstated were greeted with an unclickable icon of the app logo along with a query: "Looking for TikTok?"

Underneath was a message reading: "Downloads for this app are paused due to current U.S. legal requirements."

What happened before if you searched for TikTok in the Apple store?

Users of iPhones who searched for TikTok in the Apple App Store before it was reinstated were met with a message reading: "TikTok and other ByteDance apps are not available in the country or region you're in."

A prompt to "learn more" took users to a support page with additional information about the availability of TikTok and other apps owned by ByteDance in the United States.

Contributing: Mike Snider, Francesca Chambers