TikTok has finally returned to the app store on February 18, 2025. The platform founded by Zhang Yiming, TikTok is back on the App Store and the Google Play store. This is great news for all the TikTok enthusiasts who absolutely adore this Chinese-owned application. The wait is finally over for enthusiasts who want to know when is TikTok coming back to the app store.

TikTok Removed from App Store: Why?

TikTok is owned by a Chinese Internet company, ByteDance. This privately-held global company was founded in 2012. The Beijing-based company is estimated to be valued at $300 billion. It has come under the scrutiny of the US government over fears of Chinese government surveillance.

TikTok was removed from the App Store and Google Play store temporarily back on January 18, 2025. The application halted its service in the United States in consideration of the national security law. The President of the United States, Donald Trump even signed an order on his first office day to extend the national security law’s deadline to April 5, 2025.

The social media application was removed in January because the national security law went into effect the very next day. After a month of chaos, the most loved social media platform TikTok is once again downloadable from App Store and Google Play Store.

The three popular internet service providers, i.e., Oracle, Apple, and Google, saved themselves harsh penalties for violation of protecting Americans from the Foreign Adversary Controlled Applications Act. The law signed by Joe Biden in April required ByteDance to divest TikTok’s operations in the United States by January 19, 2025. Otherwise, TikTok could face an effective ban in the United States.

TikTok Ban Postponed for Now

The app’s comeback on Apple Store and Google Play Store happened after the new President of the United States shared that he would postpone the ban’s enforcement. Donald Trump signed the executive order in his office in order to extend the deadline of the law by 75 additional days.

Donald Trump even proposed on his social media platform that the United States can have a 50 percent ownership position in the joint venture to save TikTok.

TikTok Prior Removal Hasn’t Affected the Social Media Platform: Surprising Truth

Despite TikTok’s removal from the App Store and even the Google Play store, nothing has changed much. TikTok recovered approximately 90 percent of the traffic that it was seeing prior to its ban in the United States. This speaks volumes about TikTok’s adoration among the people in the country. No tech giants were banned for maintaining or distributing TikTok. The short video application is the go-to social media platform for nearly half of Americans.