Author: Doyinsola Oladipo
(Reuters) – Three days after ByteDance’s TikTok went dark and then quickly revived in the United States, users who deleted the app were anxiously checking iPhones and Android devices to find it still wasn’t available for re-download.
Some looking to make a quick buck on TikTok fans have been desperately listing the devices on eBay (NASDAQ 🙂 with the app reportedly fetching up to $50,000.
TikTok still could not be downloaded from the Apple (NASDAQ: ) and Google app stores in the United States on Tuesday, trapped in legal purgatory by the two tech giants. US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday delaying the implementation of a ban on a popular Chinese-owned short video app for 75 days, the legality of which is unclear.
TikTok has resumed operations after assurances from Trump that the company and its partners will not face heavy fines to keep the app running, but it has yet to return to app stores. Other ByteDance-owned apps, including Lemon8 and CapCut, were also no longer available.
Meanwhile, the search for a TikTok buyer continued. Trump said Tuesday that he is open to billionaire Elon Musk buying the app if the Tesla (NASDAQ: ) CEO wants to do so.
And the chairman of the House China Committee, John Moolenaar, met with businessmen Kevin O’Leary and Frank McCourt about the potential seizure of TikTok. Billionaire businessman McCourt made an official offer to buy it.
The back-and-forth has sparked mixed feelings among users, including some who planned to leave TikTok after seeing Trump so involved in negotiations that could result in TikTok being sold to one of its allies in the tech industry.
“I don’t want to continue to be a pawn in this hell. I’m not saying it’s going to make a difference for TikTok, but it will for me,” said Nicole Norman, a TikTok user, on Meta’s Threads app. “I’m not going back to TikTok.”
Still others want TikTok back, which isn’t possible until Apple and Google parent Alphabet (NASDAQ: ) make it available.
“I checked every day,” said travel content creator Lauren Scott. Scott, 29, currently in Brazil, read in some Facebook (NASDAQ: ) groups that Americans abroad could access the app if they deleted it and downloaded it again. But that turned out not to be the case, leaving her in limbo.
The delay could be because Google and Apple are waiting for additional protections before circumventing the ban that penalizes companies for hosting or distributing apps, according to analysts.
A notice on Apple’s App Store reads: “TikTok and other ByteDance apps are not available in your country or region.” Google Play showed: “Downloads for this app have been paused due to current US legal requirements.”
Some users have been fiddling with multi-step processes to gain access, such as trying to change their location on their phones.
“I really hope TikTok gets back on the app store as soon as possible, not wanting to do any of that VPN stuff to get it back,” TikTok user Lauren Nader said on Threads.
Google, Apple and TikTok did not respond to requests for comment.
US lawmakers last year passed legislation backed by the US Supreme Court requiring ByteDance to either sell TikTok or face a ban, citing national security concerns. Many Democratic and Republican lawmakers still want to see ByteDance sell the app.
Trump has suggested that the United States government should be a half-owner of TikTok’s US business in exchange for keeping the app alive, and warned that he could impose tariffs on China if Beijing does not approve the deal.
China signaled for the first time this week that it would be open to a transaction that would keep TikTok operating in the United States, and its foreign ministry said on Monday that the companies “independently decide” on matters of their operations and business.
Some users still on TikTok have suggested that the app’s algorithm “feels different” since it came back online, fueled by fears about the future of the tool under the new ownership structure.
TikTok welcomed users on Sunday with a message: “Thank you for your patience and support. As a result of President Trump’s efforts, TikTok is back in the US!”
“I deactivated my account after it ‘came back’ this morning. I’m done [Trump] taking credit for the riots he starts,” TikTok user Janel Samson said on Threads.
More than 200 iPhones and Android devices with the app downloaded were listed on the site for sale as of Tuesday night.
