Social media platform TikTok has returned to Apple and Google mobile app stores in the United States after President Donald Trump delayed its ban until April 5 and assured the tech giants they would not be fined for distributing or maintaining the Chinese app.

TikTok, used by 170 million Americans, started restoring its services on AAPL.O and GOOGLE.O on Thursday, local time, weeks after the app went dark in the US and Mr Trump pledged to revive it.

The president’s executive order last month delayed the app’s ban of for 75 days, allowing China’s ByteDance-owned company to continue its operations in the US temporarily.

The companies, which run mobile application stores or digital marketplaces where users can browse, download and update apps, would not face penalties for keeping the TikTok app up and running, the directive said.

That meant the app went dark in the US for no longer than 24 hours before the platform announced on January 20 that it would be restoring its services.

Other apps owned by ByteDance, such as CapCut and Lemon8, were also no longer available in the app store last month.

Before his inauguration, Mr Trump also declared on his Truth Social platform that he would “like the United States to have a 50 per cent ownership position in a joint venture” over TikTok’s operations.

“Without U.S. approval, there is no Tik Tok. With our approval, it is worth hundreds of billions of dollars — maybe trillions,” he said in a Truth Social post on January 19.

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TikTok was the second most downloaded app in the US, with more than 52 million downloads in 2024, according to market intelligence firm Sensor Tower.

About 52 per cent of TikTok’s total downloads were from Apple App Store, while 48 per cent were from Google Play in the US last year, Sensor Tower said.

Trump says TikTok ban delay could be extended

The restoration of TikTok services in the US comes after Mr Trump said on Thursday that his 75-day delay on the TikTok ban could be extended, but said he doesn’t think that will be necessary.

In remarks to reporters in the Oval Office, the president said he still hopes to make a deal on TikTok to keep the app alive in the US, crediting it with helping him win the 2024 presidential election.

Donald Trump sitting at a desk in the Oval Office holding a piece of paper next to a standing Hoard Lutnick and a US flag

Donald Trump suggests his 75-day delay on the TikTok ban in the US could be extended to keep the app running for American users. (Reuters: Kevin Lamarque)

When asked if the deadline was running out, Mr Trump said: “Well, I have 90 days from about two weeks ago, and I’m sure it can be extended. But let’s see. I don’t think you’ll need to.”

It wasn’t immediately clear what the 90-day reference meant.

Mr Trump also said there were a lot of people interested in acquiring the social media company, and said its image had changed since the 2024 election. He said he found the app to be fair and useful in appealing to young voters.

The US president said he believed Chinese President Xi Jinping would agree to approve the sale of TikTok to a US buyer as it would also be in China’s interest.

“I’m going to make it worthwhile for China to do,” he said, without giving any details.

“I think it would be to China’s advantage to have the deal be made.”

Reuters