TikTok is once again accessible on the US app marketplaces of Apple and Google after President Donald Trump postponed the implementation of a prohibition on the Chinese-owned social media platform until April 5.
The widely used application, which boasts over 170 million American users, briefly went offline last month in the US as the restriction deadline neared.
Trump subsequently issued an executive directive granting TikTok a 75-day reprieve to adhere to legislation mandating its sale to prevent an outright prohibition.
TikTok did not immediately respond to a request for remarks from BBC News.
As per Bloomberg, which initially disclosed TikTok’s reinstatement in US app stores, the decision to restore its availability followed assurances from the Trump administration that Apple and Google would not be held accountable for permitting downloads, and that the restriction would not yet be enforced.
The prohibition, approved through bipartisan support in Congress, was enacted into law by former President Joe Biden. It required ByteDance, TikTok’s Chinese parent company, to divest its US operations to a neutral entity to prevent a complete ban.
The Biden administration argued that TikTok posed a potential risk as a tool for Chinese surveillance and political interference.
China and TikTok have consistently refuted these allegations. Beijing has also previously dismissed demands for a divestiture of TikTok’s US segment.
The law barring the app received backing from lawmakers across the political spectrum and was ultimately validated by the Supreme Court.
Trump had previously endorsed prohibiting the application during his initial term but appeared to reconsider last year amid the presidential campaign.
He expressed a “soft spot” for the platform, boasting about the billions of views his videos garnered during his election campaign. When the app resumed operations in the US last month, a pop-up notification was sent to millions of users, personally crediting Trump.
TikTok’s Chief Executive Shou Chew met Trump at Mar-a-Lago following his electoral victory in November and later attended his inauguration.
Trump has indicated he seeks a resolution with the Chinese firm that aligns with the essence rather than the strict interpretation of the law, even suggesting a scenario where TikTok is jointly owned.
“What I’m contemplating telling someone is to acquire it and allocate half to the US, and half, then we’ll issue a permit,” he recently stated in a press briefing about artificial intelligence.
He also suggested he would be open to selling the platform to Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison or billionaire Elon Musk, who oversees the Trump administration’s Department of Government Efficiency.
Past individuals associated with potential TikTok acquisitions include billionaire Frank McCourt and Canadian entrepreneur Kevin O’Leary—a well-known investor from Shark Tank, the American equivalent of Dragon’s Den.
The world’s most popular YouTuber, Jimmy Donaldson—known as MrBeast—has also asserted that he is in contention after multiple investors reached out following his social media post expressing interest.
