Just under a month after TikTok was removed from U.S. app stores in response to a new law mandating the platform to divest from its China-based parent company, it made a return to both the Apple and Google Play stores on Thursday night.
A representative from Google confirmed to CBS News that TikTok had been reinstated to its app store, and the app was also visible in the Apple store. CBS News has reached out to Apple for further comments.
This development follows a report from Bloomberg stating that Attorney General Pam Bondi informed Apple and Google that the new law would not be enforced immediately.
Concerns were rising among lawmakers and national security officials regarding the possibility that TikTok’s Beijing-based parent company, ByteDance, might utilize the highly popular short-form video app to spy on American users or alter the content they encounter on the platform.
A bipartisan bill was signed into law by former President Joe Biden in April 2024, granting TikTok until January 19 to cut ties with ByteDance or risk losing access to app stores and web hosting services in the U.S.
TikTok and ByteDance contested the law, but it was upheld by the Supreme Court shortly before it was set to take effect, citing national security risks associated with the app’s data collection practices.
When the deadline arrived last month, TikTok briefly and voluntarily shut down its service in the U.S. and removed the app from the Apple and Google Play stores, despite the Biden administration indicating it would be up to the Trump administration to enforce the law in its final hours.
However, just one day later—on the same day as his inauguration—President Trump signed an executive order instructing the Justice Department not to enforce the law for at least 75 days.
During this time, TikTok continued to function for users in the U.S. who had already downloaded the app, although updates were not available as long as the app remained inaccessible in the app stores.
On Thursday, Mr. Trump mentioned to reporters that there were numerous parties interested in acquiring TikTok and expressed optimism that a deal could be reached.
“We’ll likely need to obtain approval from China to proceed,” Mr. Trump remarked. “I believe China will be interested, as it is beneficial for them as well.”
