• TikTok has been restored to the respective marketplaces of Apple and Google in the United States.
• Other apps from ByteDance-owned companies have also been restored.
• ByteDance was handed a 75-day extension to its deadline to sell TikTok to a US company on 19th January.

It may be an early Valentine’s Day gift, but for whatever reason, those wanting to download and use TikTok in the United States can do so once again. The app was restored to both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, per TechCrunch.

This nearly one month after both app marketplaces removed TikTok following the Protecting Americans from Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act coming into effect.

The ByteDance-owned platform was offered a short stay of execution Stateside, as President Donald Trump signed an executive order on 19th January for a 75-day extension to sell TikTok to a US company and divest its operations in the region.

“During this period, the Department of Justice shall take no action to enforce the Act or impose any penalties against any entity for any noncompliance with the Act, including for distributing, maintaining, or updating (or enabling the distribution, maintenance, or updating) of any foreign adversary controlled application as defined in the Act,” the order outlined.

“In light of this direction, even after the expiration of the above-specified period, the Department of Justice shall not take any action to enforce the Act or impose any penalties against any entity for any conduct that occurred during the above-specified period or any period prior to the issuance of this order, including the period of time from January 19, 2025, to the signing of this order,” it added.

It is not only TikTok which has been restored, with other ByteDance-owned applications CapCut and Lemon8 returning too.

Precisely why the restoration has happened is unclear for now, especially as the extension is only to allow another company to purchase TikTok with the alleged national security issues detailed in the Act still seemingly applying.

It does, however, look like the significant financial penalties associated with any marketplace that made TikTok available in US have fallen away for now.

Whether we are close to a buyer emerging is also unclear, with several names having been bandied about in recent weeks, including YouTuber MrBeat and DOGE in chief Elon Musk.

With 49 days to go before the 75-day extension deadline elapses, the saga involving TikTok and the US government is still far from over.

[Image – Photo by Solen Feyissa on Unsplash]