TikTok Ban Official As Apple And Google Forced To Remove From App Stores: What It Means
Apple and Google have been forced to act on the major TikTok ban in the US starting from January 19, 2025. The companies have confirmed that TikTok and other ByteDance-linked apps are no longer available in the region. iPhone and Android users have finally come to realise the big day for them, as the popular short video platform has gone offline, with a message that confirms the update in the US.
Apple in its post says, it is obligated to follow the laws in the jurisdictions where it operates, which is the United States in this case.
Android and iPhone users in the US will now have to consider using the other short video apps like Reels from Instagram and YouTube Shorts among others. Apple also points out that in addition to TikTok, its users in the US cannot access CapCut, Lemon8, Hypic, Marvel Snap and TikTok Studio among others.
TikTok Ban In US: How Are Users Affected
Apple has shared the details about this ban and how it affects people who have TikTok installed on their device. The company says the app will show on the phone but you won’t be able to access the account. If anyone has deleted the TikTok app and wants to install it from the App Store, tough luck. TikTok users in the US will also not get any new updates which makes these people vulnerable to possible hacking attempts using the issues.
That’s not all, people using TikTok in other non-US markets, where the platform is available and they are going to the US, won’t be able to use the account in the region, get updates or make in-app purchases.
These issues are likely to be applicable for Android users in the country as well. Apple says in case you have subscriptions on TikTok or any other ByteDance app, they can head over to the device settings and cancel it anytime.
The TikTok ban will surely get people in the US to act on the situation and tempt them into jumping ship. But it seems the country could have more twists on the card for this decision which could become clearer in the next few days.