TikTok’s scheduled demise in the US was short lived thanks to a presidential executive order – but despite the popular video app’s quick return, the app remains unavailable in US app stores. TikTok is finally sharing a workaround with a download for Android devices and a shortcut for iOS users, though it's far from ideal. TikTok now has an Android Package Kit (APK) download available directly from its website.
TikTok remains temporarily available to users in the US after a brief outage – but users who deleted the app during the outage or bought a brand new device are stuck without the app as TikTok has still not returned to Google Play or the App Store weeks later. The outage has caused some eBay sellers to list smartphones with the app already installed for much higher than the typical cost of a used smartphone.
TikTok is now offering the download outside of the Google Play Store for Android users through an APK kit. The company instructs Android users to visit tiktok.com/download to find the app, with both TikTok and TikTok Lite available this way.
The app download remains unavailable to iOS users, as Apple devices require side-loading or jailbreaking to download apps outside of the App Store. Instead, TikTok is instructing users how to add a shortcut to the iOS home screen, but this is simply the web-browser version of TikTok, which is missing key features like the ability to record and share your own videos.
Last year, bipartisan legislation required parent company ByteDance to sell the TikTok app to an owner outside of China or face a ban in the US. Lawmakers cited multiple security concerns. Despite a legal battle that made it all the way to the Supreme Court, the January 19 deadline came and went without a sale and the TikTok became unavailable in the US.
An executive order by President Donald Trump gave the app another 75 days – until April 5 – by declaring that the law would not be enforced. During the Supreme Court case, TikTok’s lawyers said that it was impossible to sell the app because some of the code is intellectual property owned by the Chinese government. Despite that, rumors have swirled about potential buyers that could prevent TikTok from going dark again on April 5.
Visit TikTok's support page for download instructions.
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