TikTok is now accessible once again in the U.S. following a brief ban, but it remains absent from Google and Apple’s app stores. This is due to restrictions stemming from an executive order signed by former President Joe Biden, which prohibits the app’s listing. Until TikTok divests its U.S. operations to an American company, Apple and Google cannot restore the app to their stores. Apple confirmed this policy in a recent support document, stating that all apps developed by TikTok’s parent company, ByteDance, are barred from the App Store. The document reads:
Apple is obligated to follow the laws in the jurisdictions where it operates. Pursuant to the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act, apps developed by ByteDance Ltd. and its subsidiaries — including TikTok, CapCut, Lemon8, and others — will no longer be available for download or updates on the App Store for users in the United States starting January 19, 2025.
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Although former President Donald Trump had signed an executive order granting TikTok a 75-day reprieve from potential restrictions, federal law remains unaffected. Legal experts have clarified that this executive order does not override existing legislation, leaving TikTok’s future uncertain in the U.S.
To ensure its continued operation in the country, TikTok must fully sever ties with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, and transition ownership to a U.S.-based entity. This would require the current President to present evidence of such changes to Congress. As of now, these conditions have not been met.
This ongoing uncertainty has led Apple and Google to avoid reinstating TikTok in their app stores, as doing so could result in substantial fines. For those examining TikTok’s ownership structure, institutional investors like BlackRock, General Atlantic, and the Carlyle Group hold 60% of the company, while 20% belongs to its founders and another 20% to its global employees.
