Despite the fact that you can still use the service, TikTok is still very much so banned in the United States. President Trump promised to not fine TikTok and its service providers for continuing to run the services, but that’s just a promise. He also signed an executive order officially suspending the ban, but there’s great odds that that executive order doesn’t actually hold up legally.
For one reason or another, Apple (and Google) have both decided that they don’t want to take the risk. If a court later decides that Trumps promises don’t hold up legally, Apple could be on the hook for up to $850 billion in fines. It just isn’t worth it for them.
TikTok unavailable on the App Store in the US
TikTok is not available on the App Store. When you first hear that, you might just think that you can’t get the app if you didn’t already have it – which doesn’t sound like that big of a deal. After all, if you really cared about TikTok, you probably had it installed already.
However, there’s a much larger consequence of TikTok being unavailable on the App Store: if you for whatever reason need to re-install the app, you’ll be unable to.
That means if you buy a new iPhone, you won’t be able to officially install TikTok. Even if you transfer your data. It also means that if you seriously damage your iPhone and you need to replace the entire device, you’re out of luck when it comes to TikTok. Same applies to needing to restore your iPhone if there’s a software issue.
In the support document Apple published on January 19th, the day the TikTok ban became official law, the company outlined this fact:
If you already have these apps installed on your device, they will remain on your device. But they can’t be redownloaded if deleted or restored if you move to a new device. In-app purchases and new subscriptions are no longer possible.
If you care deeply about TikTok, take as good care of your current iPhone as you can. And if your current iPhone is on its last legs, hold out just a little bit longer on that upgrade. It won’t be possible to easily reinstall the app afterwards. You’ll unfortunately need to resort to the website.
My favorite iPhone accessories on Amazon:
Follow Michael: X/Twitter, Bluesky, Instagram
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
GIPHY App Key not set. Please check settings