TikTok is Hanging Around, Here’s Why Google and Apple Still Block It
Jakarta, CNBC Indonesia –TikTok was completely paralyzed in the United States (US) for 12 hours on Saturday (19/1) local time. However, US President Donald Trump immediately issued an executive order to restore TikTok for the next 75 days, while negotiating so that the Chinese application can continue to operate in the US.
Although TikTok’s service has been restored, the application is still not available on the Apple App Store and Google Play Store in the US. This has made users restless, because many have already deleted TikTok on their cellphones when it was first announced to be closed.
As a result, they cannot re-download the TikTok application to their cellphones. This has made some people look for income opportunities by selling devices that have been downloaded TikTok. The devices are sold on eBay e-commerce for prices of up to US$50,000.
Quoted from Reuters, Wednesday (22/1/2025), the absence of TikTok on the Google Play Store and Apple App Store is likely due to the unclear fate of TikTok in the US.
Apple and Google appear to want to wait for confirmation that TikTok will continue to operate before actually making the app available for download.
Currently, only users who already had the TikTok app on their phones before the shutdown announcement can still access TikTok in the US.
“I hope TikTok comes back to the app store as soon as possible. I don’t want to use a VPN or anything like that,” said Lauren Nader, a TikTok user.
“I check [the app store] every day,” said travel content creator Lauren Scott.
She is currently in Brazil. In a Facebook group, she saw a rumor that Americans abroad could access TikTok if they deleted and re-downloaded it. However, that turned out to be untrue, according to Scott.
Trump and TikTok Negotiations
Trump has recommended that 50% of TikTok’s US ownership be given to US investors. He has expressed his support if billionaire Elon Musk wants to take over some of the app’s shares so that it can continue to operate in the US.
Another billionaire, Frank McCourt, through the Project Liberty consortium, has formally offered to buy TikTok for US$20 billion without its algorithm.
Businessman Kevin O’Leary also joined the consortium this month. In an interview with CNBC International, O’Leary said he was interested in joining the TikTok deal, but that it was not possible under current law.
“The 50/50 deal [proposed by Trump] is very interesting. I would be interested in working with Trump, as would any potential buyer. The problem is that it is inconsistent with the Supreme Court ruling,” he said.
Meanwhile, China’s Foreign Ministry said that any deal on TikTok should be made independently by the company, without any intervention from other parties.
The fate of TikTok, which is still in limbo, has left some users tired, even wanting to leave TikTok altogether. One of them is Nicole Norman.
“I don’t want to continue to be a ‘bet’ in this drama. It may not change TikTok, but it does affect me. I will not go back to TikTok,” she said.
SOURCE : CNBC INDONESIA
