The TikTok app has not returned to the Google Play Store or Apple’s App Store, ever since it went dark in the US with a ban looming over its head. That means fresh downloads are not possible on Android and Apple smartphones. Things have finally eased, at least for Android fans.
The official TikTok website now lists the software package that lets users download the app directly, instead of an app repository such as the Google Play Store. Third-party websites have hosted the app’s software bundle for a while, but that route usually comes with the risk of malware.
If you are browsing TikTok’s web version on mobile, click on the hamburger menu in the top-left corner of the screen, and in the side panel that opens, scroll down and tap on the download option.
A safer approach
At the moment, you can download the full version of the app, or the Lite version, which takes up less storage space. The biggest advantage of installing the TikTok app from the company’s official web dashboard is that it’s safe and doesn’t come with any safety caveats.
If it’s your first time downloading an app from a web browser, you might have to grant a one-time trust permission to install the package from that source. Once you agree, the TikTok application will be installed on your Android phone without any issues.
A sale may not be as seamless as a simple transfer of ownership for local operations. In fact, the parent company, ByteDance, might possibly put the whole endeavor on cold ice, leaving the US market for good.
“But Beijing is increasingly likely to take a hard-line approach, letting TikTok’s U.S. operations die rather than approving a sale as it holds out for a “grand deal” with the Trump administration that includes larger concessions on trade and tech policy, according to one of the people and analysts,” says a report from The Washington Post.
On the audience side, the frenzy is real. While Android users have finally received some official respite, there is no such relief in sight for iPhone users. Apple doesn’t allow app installation from any source other than its App Store, unless you live in the EU.
That leaves iPhone users in the US without a path for downloading TikTok. The situation got so desperate that used iPhones with the TikTok app pre-installed popped up on online sales platforms for as high as fifty thousand dollars apiece.
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