TikTok is partially back online in the US, but it’s not back in the App Store yet

TikTok is bringing its service back online in the US, after shutting down for about half a day. The company said this afternoon that it is “in the process of restoring service” and thanked President-elect Trump for “providing the necessary clarity” to do so.

US users were shut out of TikTok last night ahead of the federal ban coming into effect, with the app displaying a message that its services were “temporarily unavailable.” Service started to be restored on Sunday starting around 12PM ET in TikTok’s mobile app and on the web.

The app now displays a message saying “Welcome back!” and crediting Trump with restoring service. “As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the U.S.!” the message reads.

Screenshot: The Verge

Trump said this morning that he would issue an executive order on Monday, once he takes office, issuing an extension on TikTok’s timeline to be sold. He said there would be “no liability” for companies that support TikTok even before his order goes into effect.

TikTok’s return suggests that the app’s hosting provider, Oracle, and its CDN partner, Akamai, are relying on Trump’s promise. However, TikTok’s return is happening without support from Apple and Google, as it remains unavailable in the App Store and Google Play. Those companies may still not be comfortable with the risk of breaking the law banning TikTok, which remains in effect and levies steep fines on those who break it.

Both app stores currently display messages explaining why the app isn’t available if you’re searching for TikTok:

Screenshot: Google Play app store

Screenshot: iOS App Store

TikTok appears confident in its return. The company sent a memo to advertisers Sunday afternoon letting them know that its service will soon “become available for the majority of U.S. users” and that ad campaigns will resume with “certain limitations” on live campaigns.

TikTok’s statement:

In agreement with our service providers, TikTok is in the process of restoring service. We thank President Trump for providing the necessary clarity and assurance to our service providers that they will face no penalties providing TikTok to over 170 million Americans and allowing over 7 million small businesses to thrive.

It’s a strong stand for the First Amendment and against arbitrary censorship. We will work with President Trump on a long-term solution that keeps TikTok in the United States.

After the Biden administration declared that enforcement “will be up to the next administration to implement,” Trump posted today that he was planning to delay the TikTok ban. He said it would require that the app be sold, possibly with “a joint venture between the current owners and/or new owners whereby the U.S. gets a 50 percent ownership.”

Republican Senators Tom Cotton and Pete Ricketts put out a joint statement Sunday morning saying there was “no legal basis” to extend the ban’s effective date beyond January 19th while praising Amazon, Apple, Google, and Microsoft for pulling the app from their stores. Both senators had called “some of the major tech companies in recent days to say they needed to comply with the law,” according to The New York Times.

There are no updates yet on what TikTok’s partial return means for the other ByteDance-linked apps that users have been locked out of, such as CapCut and Marvel Snap.

TikTok, Google, Apple, Amazon, Oracle, and Akamai have not responded to our requests for further comment.

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