TikTok returned to the US app stores of Apple and Google on Thursday as President Donald Trump delayed a ban on the Chinese-owned social media app and assured the tech giants they would not be fined for distributing or maintaining it.
The law that requires ByteDance to sell TikTok’s US assets or ultimately face a ban was signed by then president Joe Biden in April last year, triggered by national security concerns and fears that China could use the video-sharing app to spy on American users.
Although TikTok resumed service after Trump’s assurances, Google and Apple kept the app removed from their US app stores.
TikTok, the second-most downloaded app in the US last year, said on Thursday that its latest app was now available for download.
The popular short video app used by nearly half of all Americans went dark briefly last month, before a law took effect on 19 January that requires its Chinese owner ByteDance either to sell it on national security grounds or face a ban.
